The Poison
by HCMONSTER93
Summary: The Chosen sequel. After being chosen by the gods to complete twelve tests and barely surviving an attack on Camp, Acacia is trying to adjust to life as a demigod. But Luke Castellan is on a quest for revenge, and the attention of the god Apollo is beginning to upset the balance between gods and demigods. Now, Acacia has a choice to make, but choosing wrong could be disastrous.
1. Prologue

"Oh, Acacia, are you sure this is a good idea?" Mum was moaning, watching me rummage through the kitchen drawers with a scowl.

Lifting my gaze long enough to glance in her direction, I turned to the window with a troubled expression. "The sun will be up soon," I told her in a sharp voice. "I want to get a head start, and if I leave it much longer, they'll see me coming."

Mum shuffled slightly on her feet, and I had to purse my lips tightly before I snapped at her. She looked awful, but since she'd staggered into the house less than three hours ago, I figured she was recovering pretty quickly. Her blonde hair was ragged and knotted, and her blue eyes shone worried as she watched me. Dressed in baggy pyjamas and a thick dressing gown, she had propped herself up in the doorway, most likely to stop herself falling over.

"Don't you attract enough trouble?" she frowned at me quietly. "Why do you have to go _looking _for it too?"

I snorted sourly at her. "I attract more than enough trouble," I agreed. "But I've never met a group of organised monsters before now. If I wait for them to find me, I've got no chance. If I find _them . . ._"

Glancing back at her, I felt a little relieved that she couldn't tell I was lying. I knew finding them would be just as dangerous as them finding me, but this way, there was no chance of Mum getting caught in the crossfire. As irritating as she was, she was my mother, and I loved her. I wasn't going to let her get killed because of me.

"You don't even know they're here for you!" Mum complained, and I rolled my eyes wryly, slamming the last kitchen drawer shut.

"There isn't another demigod for miles, Mum!" I scowled. Her expression wavered. "I'm going out there, Mum, and you're not going to change my mind. Now what did you do with my knife?"

She took a deep breath and straightened out, composing herself carefully. "I don't know what you're talking about."

My fists clenched. "Mum, would you quit it already? I'm not staying here waiting for them to kill us! Hand it over."

"And I'm not watching my only child sentence herself to death!" Mum snapped back. My face fell. "You're eleven years old, Acacia!"

"But I'm not a normal eleven year old," I persisted, taking a step closer. "Now what did you do with the knife, Mum?" She shook her head. "Oh, for the love of – Mum! Hand it over!"

"Acacia-"

"Now!"

Her eyes glistened, and my anger faded a fraction. Slowly, she reached back and pulled something from the waistband of her dressing gown – a celestial bronze knife that glinted strangely in the dim light from the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and took it carefully from her shaking hands. Then, before she could pull back, I threw my arms around her shoulders and squeezed tightly. In the same second, she burst into silent tears.

"I'll be back before you know it," I said past the lump forming in the bottom of my throat. "I promise." Without even looking, I stepped back and rushed from the house, leaving my mother shaking in fright.

In hindsight, she had every right. I knew I could keep her safe. I should have never promised to do the same for myself.


	2. One: The Unexpected Visitor

"Acacia? Acacia, are you up?"

I lay flat on my back, staring at the ceiling of my bedroom with a lump in my throat. Sally was knocking on the door, and the longer I went without replying, the more worried she became. But I knew she'd only freak out more if she saw the silent tears tracing down the sides of my face.

I hadn't thought about my mother in a long time. It wasn't that I didn't miss her, or I didn't love her, but frankly, it hurt too much. However annoying she was, she'd loved me and I loved her. She was my mother. It was only natural. And thinking about her dying without ever knowing that I was okay, that I didn't intentionally abandon her, felt worse than spending a year in the Underworld.

"Acacia, are you there?" Sally's voice came. "Please answer me, honey, you're worrying me!"

"Mum?" Percy's yawn came. "Everything okay?"

"It's Acacia, she's-"

"Fine!" I called, clearing my throat reluctantly, pushing myself upright and wiping the tears away quickly. "Just waking up, that's all."

"Okay, honey," Sally's voice came slowly, and I knew she didn't believe me. "Breakfast is out when you're ready."

"I'll be out in a minute!" I called back. She didn't answer, but I heard footsteps heading for the kitchen and let out a sigh of relief. Pursing my lips tightly, I flung my legs off the side of the bed and reluctantly pushed myself to my feet, moving to the dresser on the other side of the room. My bedroom wasn't much. The bed sat beneath a small window beside the bedside table, on which sat an alarm clock and two photos; one of Percy, Annabeth, Grover and me, and the second of me and my elder sister, Thalia. Opposite stood a wardrobe and a dresser, cluttered with pieces of school work, letters from my best friend Annabeth, an iPod and a few CDs.

Throwing myself onto the stool in front of the dresser, I pursed my lips and stared at my reflection. I'd had my hair cut short to try and hide the ugly scar that now ran down the left side of my neck after the battle at Camp half-Blood at the end of last summer, when an empousa tried to kill me. Now, the thick, black curls scrapped the top of my shoulders, but my stormy grey eyes still shone through brightly. My skin had tanned a little more after the long hours of training at Camp, and I was leaner and stronger than before. But there was something different about my features, an expression I hadn't had while I was living in Scotland. Being at Camp Half-Blood had brought back all of my worst childhood memories, and it had given my expression a hard, haunted edge.

Scowling at myself, I dropped my gaze and shook the thoughts away. Taking the iPod off the dresser and plugging the headphones into my ears, I flicked through the artists until I found one of the few songs I had of my dead sister's favourite band, Green Day, and turned the volume up as I stood up to get ready for school.

Living with Percy Jackson had been interesting, to say the least. For example, we tended to make bad things happen when we got agitated, or annoyed, especially when those feelings were directed at each other. It didn't help that having the Daughter of Zeus and Son of Poseidon under one roof was like inviting disaster to dinner. Over the past year, numerous monsters had tracked us down, including my not-so-friendly friend Tisiphone, one of the Three Kindly Ones who was still holding a grudge because I managed to kill her when I was eight years old.

Still, despite how dangerous Percy and I seemed to be around one another – and how awkward Sally sometimes made me when she made a point of acting like I was her daughter – I loved living with the two of them. After my father had ordered Apollo to stay at Camp Half-Blood – the summer camp that was the only place on Earth it was safe for demigods to stay – I dreaded having to stay there. I wasn't entirely why things were so awkward between me and Apollo, but he'd been keeping an abnormally – and usually forbidden – close eye on me since the day I'd met him. Since it was supposed to be against the rules to favour any demigods, the fact he was determined to keep me alive and safe was highly disturbing.

To be on the safe side, Sally had enrolled Percy and me at different schools. Granted, they weren't far from each other, but the fact I had to attend an all-girls school with a class full of kids who could have given the Aphrodite campers a run for their money did not make me want to leap out of bed in a morning. Percy kept insisting he was worse off because he attended a 'progressive' school run by what sounded like a load of hippies. I didn't agree.

But I endured school. In fact, when I actually paid attention, I wasn't too bad at it. It didn't change anything though. I was still thrilled when I was allowed to go home, where the first thing Sally did when we reached the front door was take any and all of our weapons or magical items off us. After a particularly nasty accident with the neighbour's cat, we weren't allowed to use any of them in the apartment.

I didn't mind. I thought it was brilliant, being allowed to be a normal kid for a while. Despite the fact that I was living in New York, Zeus had forbidden any tests until I returned to camp over summer. Not only that, but I'd been told in strict confidence that he'd threatened any god that came anywhere near me with an extended stay in Tartarus. The thought made me shudder, but it was enough to keep them all away. And that meant I could catch a movie with the few friends I had from school, or go out to eat with Sally and Percy without worrying that I'd have to go all demigod on them.

To make it all even better, I'd even stopped having the strange dreams about Apollo I'd had all last summer, and I hadn't missed the _'coincidence'_ of this coinciding with Sally taking my locket off me every afternoon. When she'd first asked me to keep it off in the house, I'd been incredibly reluctant. It just felt . . . wrong. But, after a few nights of proper sleep, I was starting to see the benefits. Dressing in a pair of skinny grey jeans, red Converse and red checked shirt, I slipped out of my room with a heavy sigh and headed through to the kitchen for breakfast.

"Good morning, Acacia," Sally Jackson smiled happily as I slumped into the kitchen. As always, she was stood in her work uniform that had been decorated to look like the American flag, smiling kindly at me as she placed two blue waffles on my plate. The first time she'd served me blue good, I'd been more than a little confused. But after Percy had just shrugged and mumbled something about his childhood, I smiled and stopped asking embarrassing questions.

"Morning, Sally," I replied, my stomach twisting as I noticed she'd left my locket by my place, just like every other morning. Sasha, my immortal wolf who had refused to leave my side since last summer, picked her head up from her dog basket by the fireplace, wagging her tail at me once before yawning and curling back up tightly.

"Looking forward to your last day?" Sally asked me as she turned to wash the dishes.

I slumped down at the table opposite Percy without look at her. "No," I admitted. She cast me an odd glance over her shoulder, but she must have decided not to ask, because she turned back to the sink and kept quiet.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning," Percy commented dryly, and I shot him a warning look. He'd changed quite a bit in the past year, though most of that occurred over summer. When I'd first met him, he looked like a relatively average twelve year old boy. Now, at thirteen and after a summer at Camp Half-Blood, he was stronger, more tanned and definitely more confident. His jet black hair was chopped quite short, and his sea-green eyes glinted mischievously.

"You do seem a little distracted this morning," Sally frowned. "Are you sure you're alright, Acacia?" Shoving two waffles in Percy's direction, she lifted a hand to check the temperature of my forehead.

"I'm fine," I sighed heavily, ignoring Percy's roll of his eyes. "I just . . . feel . . . odd."

"Odd?" Sally blinked.

"Nothing new," Percy snorted.

I glowered at him. "Something's wrong . . . I think. I just can't put my finger on what it is. It's been like this for a few days, I just thought it was because of . . ."

"Camp?" Percy finished for me. I shot him a cool look, but nodded my head stiffly and took a gulp of my orange juice. "It might not be that bad this summer," he shrugged. "It's not like Zeus's Master Bolt can go missing _again_, can it?"

"Percy," I warned with a frown. "Stop talking." He scowled, but jabbed his waffles and stuffed a large forkful in his mouth. He knew as well as I did that after how last summer ended, this summer had the potential to be a lot worse than a missing Master Bolt.

"Ah, well, yes, I meant to talk to the two of you about that actually," Sally started carefully. She hesitated when Percy and I both turned to her suddenly, as though our lives depended on what she was about to tell us. "I, err, I got a message from Chiron last night."

Percy's face fell, and I felt my back straighten out, my hand immediately twitching toward my locket. I clenched it tightly with pursed lips. As much as I hated the idea of inviting the gods back into my life, if there was something wrong with Camp, I wanted to know.

"What message?" Percy asked slowly. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yes," Sally agreed, a little too eagerly. Percy's eyes found mine in building panic. "Chiron just thought that it might not be . . . safe, for the two of you there this year."

Even my jaw dropped. "But that's the _only_ safe place for half-bloods," I reminded her. Percy raised an eyebrow, and I glowered at him. "Okay, every half-blood _but_ me," I corrected sourly. "That's nothing out of the ordinary though, is it?"

"We can discuss the details later," Sally continued, like I'd never spoken. "But the two of you will be late if you hang around here much longer."

"But-"

"No, Percy," she interrupted, holding up a hand to silence him. "School. Both of you. Before you're late." He shot me a pleading look, like I'd be able to soften her up, but I shrugged a shoulder cautiously and pushed myself away from the table. Reluctantly, I wrapped my fingers around the locket on the table and clipped it around my neck, hating the way I suddenly felt like I'd just stepped back into last summer. Thinking about Camp being in trouble immediately made me want to ignore Sally and Chiron and get there as fast as possible, but . . . going back to Camp meant inviting the gods back into my life, and it wasn't something I was eager to do. Still, what if they needed our help?

"Forget about it, Acacia," I murmured to myself as Percy and I headed for the door. "Quit worrying for five minutes and breathe."

"That's the spirit, Acacia," Percy smirked. "Talking to yourself. Brilliant."

"Watch it, Jackson," I scowled at I slipped my jacket over my shoulders. He held his hands out in surrender, grinning at me as we bid Sally goodbye.

_Be careful, my lady,_ Sasha's warning came, lifting her head long enough to send me a meaningful look.

"Stay with Sally!" I hissed back at her while Percy's mum was distracted. The wolf grumbled at me, but lowered her head to show she understood, watching me and Percy slip out of the apartment.

"You don't reckon anything's really wrong, do you?" Percy asked, almost the moment our feet hit the street outside.

I sighed heavily, forcing myself not to look at him. "I was trying not to think about it."

"Chiron thinks we're safer here," he told me, ignoring my comment and leading the way down the street. My eyes rolled exasperatedly, but I didn't interrupt. "Us, Acacia. _Us."_

"Yes, Percy," I groaned. "I understand."

"But look at all the monsters that have found us this year!" he insisted, a little too loudly. A middle-aged woman shot us a strange look as she passed, and I grimaced, swirling a finger around my temple slowly. Her eyes widened a fraction, shaking herself and moving away from us a little faster.

"All I'm saying," Percy continued as I smiled to myself, "is that if Chiron thinks this is safer than Camp Half-Blood, there's something is seriously wrong."

"Comforting, Percy, thank you," I frowned.

He hesitated, casting me a cautious look. "You don't think . . . you know, that it's . . . you know . . ."

"No, I don't know Percy, so please just spit it out so that I can go to school and ignore you."

He dismissed my irritable comment easily, now far too used to my changing moods to question my behaviour. "Luke," he said simply. "Do you think it's Luke?"

I felt my expression hardened and my fingertips twitched at my sides. "Why would it be?"

"You're serious?" he scoffed darkly.

"They'd tell us if it was," I replied without answering him, shrugging one shoulder stiffly.

Grumbling under his breath, Percy reached out and grabbed my arm to pull me to a halt and I had great difficulty keeping my bad mood to myself as I turned to meet his gaze with a stony expression. "Look, I know you're not thrilled about going back to Camp, and I know you don't want to see or hear about Luke, and I get it. But he isn't just going to go away. Don't bury your head in the sand."

I managed a half-hearted smile at that. "I've been trying all morning to _make_ myself do exactly that, Percy," I told him with a sigh. "I haven't stopped thinking about it all since we left Camp last summer. Everywhere I go, I keep looking over my shoulder, waiting for something to go wrong. I don't want to think that Camp is in trouble, and if it is, I'll be right there with you. I'm not even worried about the tests! It's just . . ." My voice trailed off, and I sighed heavily. No matter how bad I felt, I couldn't bring myself to admit that there were only two reasons I didn't want to go back. One was Luke. The other was Apollo.

I knew he'd understand, at least a little. For whatever reason, Apollo was trying to keep me safe, and it terrified me to think that by doing that, he was going to get the two of us killed. Not only that, but Luke had tricked me all summer. Despite my mixed feelings toward him after I'd first met him, I'd eventually warmed to him, just to realise he was the half-blood that had tried to kill me and wanted the gods at war. Knowing that this was the same guy my sister Thalia had died to save did not help matters, but now, Hermes was expecting me to try and help Luke see sense, while Apollo threatened to kill the boy if he came anywhere near me.

Percy sighed heavily, dropping his hands from my arms. "Just keep an eye out, okay? If you need me, I'm-"

"Just around the corner," I smiled, shaking my head in exasperation. "Yeah. See you later, Percy." He nodded, continuing down the street toward his school while I crossed over the road and headed for mine.

It didn't take me long to reach my school, and without Sasha following behind me, I managed to blend in quite well with the crowd. Right up until I reached the gates, that was. Almost every other girl my age was dressed in skirts and slim vest tops, with make-up across their features and dainty shoes that clipped across the floor amongst the sound of their high-pitched giggling. I, on the other hand, was dressed in skinny jeans, a pale red, baggy plaid shirt with black combat boots and my favourite thin leather jacket. Sometimes I wondered if I was surrounded by Aphrodite campers, and I'd been put here so that everyone could keep an eye on me. If that was true, I really wished they'd leave me to my own devices.

"Acacia!" a voice shouted off to the side. "Hey, ACACIA!"

I smiled slightly as I caught sight of my best friend, Tia, shoving her way through the crowds. "I heard you the first time, Tia," I laughed slightly.

Tia beamed at me, shrugging a shoulder at me. "Better safe than sorry." She was stood in a pair of denim shorts and an black t-shirt covered in lyrics from a pop-punk band, _Paramore._ Her mouse brown hair was streaked with so many different colours, I couldn't count, and her hazel eyes shone at me happily in the morning light. "You okay?" she asked cautiously, her smile wavering for a moment. "You look like you haven't slept in a week!"

"Just want every girl wants to hear," I commented dryly, and she laughed, slipping her arm through mine.

"You need your beauty sleep, you know," she replied in a mocking tone, and I had to purse my lips tightly as one of the other girls shot her a cool look. Pulling a face in my direction, she tightened her hold and led the way into class.

The first few hours passed without incident. Tia and I took our usual seats at the back of the room, splitting our attention between the class and a severely boring game of tic-tac-toe that eventually deteriorated into hushed conversation and poorly contained fits of laughter. After a strict telling-off from our Drama teacher, we ended up sitting outside for break, in the shade of a small cluster of large trees.

"You really need to calm down," I laughed as Tia threw herself to the ground. "You'll be expelled if you keep winding teachers up like that."

"Hey, you weren't much better!" she complained with a short laugh and wide eyes. I restrained my grin as I lowered myself down opposite her. "It's your fault, Grace. You're a bad influence."

I couldn't help laughing loudly. "You know, that's the first time I've ever heard that."

"I'm stunned," Tia chuckled. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself upright and stretched out. "Anyway, I was meant to ask what you were doing after school tonight. My older brother is in town, and he said he'd take us out for something to eat if you're up for it?"

I hesitated, my smile fading. "Actually, I think I have, err, a family thing."

Tia lifted an eyebrow. "You seem thrilled."

"I tried to get out of it," I admitted with a slight shrug. "But Percy will go mad if I start avoiding him."

"Bring him along," Tia suggested immediately. "I wouldn't mind getting to know him a bit better." Her grin widened, and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Getting away from Percy isn't the problem, it's _staying_ away from everyone else that's the tricky part."

"Everyone else? I thought you lived with Percy and his Mum." I stared at her expectantly, but she just dropped her gaze and shifted uncomfortably.

Pursing my lips, I debated with myself for a moment the best way to explain things. "Just because I live with my cousin doesn't mean he's the only family I've got," I said slowly. "The others are just . . ."

"Hard to handle?" she suggested.

My lips curved into a small smile, but before I could say a word, someone else answered for me. "You could say that," a heavy sigh came, and I started, spinning to glance behind me.

Apollo just grinned at me with a wink and dropped to the ground beside me casually. As an immortal god, he looked exactly the same as he had every other time I'd met him; about seventeen years old with sandy hair, a heavy tan, lean build and dazzlingly bright eyes. He was dressed in worn jeans, black Converse and a white shirt, but he still could have easily passed for a model, with his flawless features and mischievous grin. Tia looked like she was about to faint.

I, on the other hand, was not pleased to see him. "You shouldn't be here," I said slowly, frowning at the god cautiously.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Tia shifted forward, throwing her hand out as she cleared her throat. "I'm-"

"No," I interrupted, and Tia fell silent with an awkward look. Apollo hadn't even glanced in her direction, but his lips tugged at the sides. I scowled before I could help it.

Tia cleared her throat, pushing herself to her feet and snatching up her bag. "I'm, err, going to be late for class," she lied, frowning in my direction. "I'll . . . leave you to it. You okay, Acacia?"

Apollo flicked his eyes lazily toward Tia, obviously amused. Even if she decided to stay, if something went wrong she'd be less than helpful. "I'm fine," I told her in a measured voice. "I'll catch up with you."

Apollo winced, shaking his head. "Actually, she won't," he informed her, and I felt my muscles go rigid and my heart race in an odd combination of worry and irritation. "She's got the rest of the afternoon off."

Tia frowned, and in that moment, I'd never been more grateful for such a brilliant friend. And still, I almost begged her to leave and get herself out of whatever danger the Olympian gods were going to inflict on me this time. "Acacia?"

"I'm fine," I repeated. "It's okay, he's . . ."

Apollo lifted an eyebrow. "Family," he grimaced. "I'm the funny one."

"The one you're avoiding?" Tia scowled, suddenly angry, and Apollo turned to me with an unreadable expression.

"One of," I corrected, and Apollo winced with a small chuckle.

"Ouch, Ace," he mumbled.

I pursed my lips. "Honest, Tia, I'm fine. I'll call you as soon as I can, just . . . don't hold your breath for that being anytime soon."

Tia shuffled. "You're freaking me out, Acacia," she gulped. "You don't sound alright."

"I'm good," I nodded. "Go. I'll see you later." With one last look between me and Apollo, she nodded stiffly and turned and headed back up to the school reluctantly.

The moment she was out of sight, I shifted to sit up a little straighter, inching as far away from Apollo as I could without being too obvious. Still, he noticed, drumming his fingertips on his thighs and pursing his lips tightly.

"What's going on?" I asked, and Apollo cast me a strange look.

"You know, most demigods have more manners when addressing a god," he told me, in a tone as though he couldn't care less.

"How many demigods do you ambush while they're at school?"

He laughed sourly, his eyes shining. "You make a good point," he shrugged without looking at me.

"So why are you here?" I persisted. I wanted more than anything to know why they'd sent him, of all the gods on Olympus, when he was the only one I really didn't want to see. Things were just too weird. Everything changed the moment I put that locket on. _His_ locket, and I don't know why I had it, or if I was always supposed to have it, but I did know it was dangerous. More importantly, so was he. In fact, he was probably more dangerous to me than anyone or anything else out there.

Taking a deep breath, Apollo stretched out and frowned in thought. "You're in danger so long as you're in America," he told me.

"I already knew that," I shrugged. He glanced sideways at me with another small smile. "It's been that way since Thalia ran away. Believe it or not, it's nothing new to me."

"This is," he insisted, and an expression I didn't want to understand flickered over his features.

I gulped hard. "So what happens now?"

He didn't answer immediately, and when he did, he turned to face me properly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. My chest tightened awkwardly as his eyes bore into mine. "Actually, I'm debating what to do next," he admitted quietly. I found myself frowning at him curiously. "Either I do what I'm supposed to and take you to the airport where you'll catch a flight to Scotland and a group of half-bloods will be there to meet you on the other side or . . ."

I shuddered before I could help myself, and Apollo's lips twitched. "Or?"

"Or I kidnap you and take you there myself."

For a moment, all I could do was stare. Then I jumped to my feet, heart racing and skin quivering as I snatched my bag off the ground and started quickly toward the exit. This wasn't right, what was wrong with him? What was wrong with _me?_

"Hey!" Apollo exclaimed, and I wasn't sure whether he was angry or shocked. I didn't get very far before his hand latched around my arm and pulled me back, but I yanked myself out of his hold and took a few steps away, refusing to meet his gaze. "I don't remember giving you an option C."

"I don't ever remember Zeus making it acceptable to have favourites," I retorted before I could help it. "I'm nothing to do with you, no other god cares if I'm in danger."

"I'm sure your father would disagree," he frowned. I didn't answer. "I'm freaking you out, aren't I?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

He sighed heavily. "Shouldn't you just be glad someone's watching out for you?"

"No," I said shortly. "I have enough problems without worrying about why you're so paranoid. Chiron has already told me and Percy to stay away from Camp this summer, and everyone is starting to notice that the gods are interfering in my life. If anything, this is just more dangerous. If you going to test me, do it, but otherwise please leave me alone. I can take care of myself."

Apollo hesitated, scanning my expression reluctantly. I could tell he wasn't used to be spoken to like this by a demigod, and I wasn't sure whether or not I'd crossed the line. But he sighed and ran a hand through his hair dejectedly. Just as he was about to say something, he went rigid on the spot, his expression turning to stone.

I hesitated, shifting anxiously. "Err, Lord Apollo?"

Without warning, something exploded behind me and I flinched forward, spinning around with a hammering heart. Students were screaming in panic, and adrenaline was suddenly rushing through my body, so fast I could barely think. I'd just caught a glimpse of the damage – a burnt hole in the side of the school building where a guy of about twenty was clambering over the rumble – before Apollo clamped an arm around my waist and hauled me backwards. I yelped in surprise, and the guy in the rumble started, turning in our direction through the masses of hysterical students and teachers.

"Kidnap it is then," the Sun god growled behind me, but my heart had leapt into my throat in panic, my eyes locked onto the guy across the school grounds. His crystal blue eyes were fixed on us, and his face twitched in anger, the scar across his cheek creasing.

"Oh gods," I breathed. Apollo didn't stop dragging me away from the school, but I felt him flinch irritably. Gulping hard, I stumbled across the floor to keep up with him, tightening my arms around his before I could stop myself.

When I'd gotten out of bed with a bad feeling this morning, I'd expected something bad. I did _not_ expect to be kidnapped by a god under the watchful eye of Luke Castellan. Something told me it was going to come back to haunt me, most likely Apollo too, and the result wasn't going to be pretty.


	3. Two: Detour

"I can't believe this," I mumbled, dropping my head in my hands. "Oh gods, I can't believe this is happening."

Apollo sighed heavily. "Would you quit worrying so much? You're as bad as Artemis!"

Risking a glance at him through my fingers, I shook myself and straightened out, dropping my hands onto the table in front of me. We were sat in a booth at the end of a small café in the middle of nowhere. How long we'd been driving, I wasn't sure, but the sun was beginning to set on the horizon, casting an ominous red glow across us. What I did know was my father was furious. The thunderstorm that had been following us since we left New York had only just let up, and every now and then I could swear I could smell ozone burning, something awfully reminiscent of the painful experience of using Zeus's Master Bolt last year.

"You really should have left me to deal with that myself," I told him quietly, staring at my fingertips as they drummed senselessly on the café table. Apollo frowned across at me, taking a breath to answer back.

Before he could say anything however, the waitress was back. I tried not to let that annoy me, but the girl hadn't left us alone since we'd walked in. She can't have been much older than me, two years maximum. Stood in a horribly short skirt and crop top with an apron wrapped around her waist, she couldn't have made it any more obvious that she was flirting if she'd tried.

"More coffee?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice, and I had to turn my head away to stop myself gagging. I wasn't sure what irritated me more; her, or that fact I had no idea why I was so irritated in the first place.

"Please," Apollo nodded without looking up at her.

"No problem," the girl smiled, refilling our two cups with fresh, boiling coffee. "Anything else I can get you?"

"No, that's it."

"You sure?" she persisted, leaning on the side of the table as close to him as she could manage. My lips pursed. "There's a special offer on-"

"I said no," Apollo scowled, and the waitress's face dropped. Gulping once, she nodded and scurried away. For a second, he said nothing, but I could feel his bright eyes scanning my expression. "You alright?"

My fingers twitched and I had to force my expression to remain neutral. "I've just been kidnapped by a god. _Again._ What do you think?"

His eyes flashed angrily. "This is different," he insisted coldly, and I felt myself shuffling anxiously. Still, I didn't bother looking up at him. "Acacia, the gods were already debating whether or not to warn you about Luke."

That caught my attention. Without thinking, my gaze snapped back to him and I found myself staring in shock. "You said that _you_ were _supposed_ to take me to the airport," I reminded him with raised eyebrows. "Not only am I _not at the airport,_ but now you're telling me that you weren't even supposed to be there?"

He hesitated, long enough for me to figure out he'd been lying to me most of the day. Stomach dropping a few feet in fear, I groaned loudly and let my head fall onto my arms on the table. Apollo said nothing, shifting in silence and waiting somewhat impatiently for me to collect myself again. I wasn't in any hurry though. None of this made any sense to me whatsoever. All I knew for sure was that Apollo was interfering far too much in my life, and I still had to prove myself to eight Olympian gods, him included. Keeping them all happy was beginning to seem more and more impossible.

Pushing myself upright again, I took a deep breath and ran a finger absent-mindedly around the rim of my coffee cup. "Why is Luke even after me?" I asked.

"I can't tell you that," Apollo dismissed quickly.

I sighed, but didn't bother arguing. "So why can't I just go back to Camp? He isn't there anymore, it isn't like he could get all those monsters through the borders again."

This time, something in Apollo's expression flinched, and he sucked air in through his teeth. I lifted an eyebrow, suddenly worried, my stomach twisting. "I can't tell you that either," he shrugged at me quietly.

"Is there anything you can tell me?" I questioned with a roll of my eyes. He said nothing. "What about Scotland, then? Why send me across the Atlantic? Surely it isn't that bad?"

He pulled a face. "You'll figure it out."

"Seriously?" I frowned.

"Sorry, Ace," he grimaced, slouching back slightly. "It's not my call."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense," I sighed sarcastically, glowering at my coffee. "Since you're not supposed to be here anyway." His jaw tightened irritably, but he didn't argue. "I don't suppose you'll tell me that either? Why you won't leave me alone?"

"Drop it, Ace," he warned me with frown, and I folded my arms over in front of me without a word. "You don't want me to answer that question. Not yet."

"Not yet?" I scoffed sourly. "And when exactly will it be the right time? When I'm on my deathbed?" His face fell in surprise, his fists clenching on the table beside his coffee. Shaking my head slightly, I dropped my gaze again. "I'm not stupid. Eventually someone somewhere is going to take exception to you paying so much attention to me, whether that's the gods or one of the campers. Even Percy would go off his head if he knew I was here!"

"This has nothing to do with him," Apollo scowled defensively.

"Oh, of course it does!" I persisted in annoyance. "You think if Percy thought I was in trouble that he'd leave me to deal with it myself? He's my best friend, Apollo. In fact, since I've been living with him, he's more like a brother to me. If he thought I was in trouble, he wouldn't stop until he'd found me, just like I'd do the same for him."

"You're not in any danger," Apollo insisted, leaning forward slightly. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

A lump formed in my throat. "That's just the point though, right?" I frowned. "You're not supposed to be protecting me! Every other god is giving me tests designed to push me to my limits, and you're trying to keep me on the side-lines out of danger? It's not going to work. If anything, it'll annoy the gods, and make the campers think I'm getting special treatment."

"But you're not."

"Actually, I am," I frowned. "Even by the rest of the gods, as much as they try to hide it. That's why no one but Percy, Annabeth and Grover know I'm being tested. Can you imagine the look on Clarisse's face if she found out that because I stopped her killing Sasha in that Capture the Flag game last year, I was picked out by the gods to prove myself to them? She'd die for a chance like that, Apollo, I know she's determined to make her father proud of her, just like nearly every other camper there!"

Apollo snorted darkly, drumming his fingertips together with a locked jaw. "You're not doing yourself any favours, Ace," he told me quietly. "Pointing out how much danger you're in doesn't exactly make me want to jump up and leave you to it."

"But you have to," I insisted. "Please." He met my gaze uncertainly. "As much danger as I might be in now, both of us will be in a lot more if you stay."

Apollo lifted an eyebrow. "Both of us?"

"Don't say it slipped your mind," I said wryly. "I don't even want to think about what Zeus and the others would do to you if they thought you were causing trouble." He stared at me for a moment, almost in disbelief. It looked as though he wanted to say something, but then thought better of it and shook himself roughly.

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll . . . stay away from you." I nodded, wondering why I wasn't more pleased he'd caved so easily. Then a small smirk grew on his lips and my chest constricted. "On one condition."

"This doesn't sound good," I muttered with a frown, and he laughed softly.

"All you have to do is let me get you to Scotland," Apollo shrugged. "After that, you can find the demigods there waiting for you, and you're on your own."

I hesitated, scanning the confident look he'd suddenly developed. "That's it?" I grimaced uncertainly. He nodded. "Then why do I get the feeling I'm missing something?"

He shrugged. "Beats me," he smirked.

"Do I have any choice?"

"Sure. I could stick around longer."

I frowned at him. "Fine. You win."

"No, I don't," Apollo laughed, pushing himself to his feet with a wink. "Not yet."

I'd heard a lot of things about the Sun god since Annabeth had started teaching me all about the Greek myths last summer. Before then, I'd never really given Ancient Greece much thought. But since my life seemed to revolve around the gods and their stories these days, I figured it was best I knew as much as I could handle.

As it turned out, Apollo was one of the strongest Olympian gods, after the elder gods like Zeus and Poseidon, of course. If I was remembering right, he was the god of the sun, prophecy, music, healing, archery and poetry, as well as being in charge of the Oracle of Delphi, someone I had fortunately never met before. I knew that he'd once defeated the dragon serpent, Python, who'd been sent by Hera to hound his mother, Leto, despite being only four days old and using a bow and set of arrows created by Hephaestus. Not long after that, Hera had apparently then sent the giant Tityos to kill Leto, and both Apollo and Artemis fought the beast until Zeus finally sent him to Tartarus. I also knew that after Hermes had been born, he'd stolen Apollo's sacred cattle, though the following argument had been resolved by Hermes gave him a lyre and since then, the two were usually on very good terms. I wasn't entirely sure what made Apollo so protective over me, but I really hoped that Luke, as Hermes's son, trying to kill hadn't changed anything between the two gods. I knew for a fact Apollo didn't agree with Hermes asking me to help Luke.

But Apollo had forbidden me from talking about any of that while he escorted me to Scotland. He didn't mind me asking questions about the old stories surrounding the gods, often adding bits that weren't common knowledge with a sly wink. He did, however, take exception to any mention of Luke, Percy, prophecies or the locket I was still wearing around my neck, and I only made the mistake of bringing any of it up once, before quickly falling silent at the look on his face.

Despite the amount of danger I was supposed to be in, Apollo didn't seem to be in any rush to set off. Night had long since fallen by the time we left the café, and he'd immediately made me take a room at a motel across the road.

"Trust me, you're going to want to get some sleep while you can," he smiled knowingly, unlocking the motel door. "It'll be an early start in the morning."

"Brilliant," I sighed with a roll of my eyes.

He chuckled, tossing the keys to me and leaning in the doorframe. "Good night, Ace," he winked.

"Where are you going?" I frowned before I could stop myself.

Apollo lifted an eyebrow slowly. "Making sure we weren't followed," he told me with a small shrug. "And damage control with Zeus. Wouldn't want him to think I'm acting irresponsibly around his daughter, would we?" I felt my cheeks flush, turning away from him quickly before he made me feel any more awkward. There was a moments silence. "Unless you want me to stay?"

"No, I'll be fine," I insisted, grimacing at him once as I scanned the room absent-mindedly.

He sighed, smiling at me carefully. "You'll be safe here. Good night, Ace."

"Night."

The door closed behind him, and I pursed my lips, staring after him and running the door key through my fingers nervously. Hesitating only a moment longer, I turned and dropped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling blankly. _Get a grip, Acacia,_ I told myself time and time again. _This is all going to get you killed if you're not careful._

It took a while for me to calm down and relax enough to fall asleep then, and since it was the first night in almost a year that I'd fallen asleep still wearing Apollo's locket, I wasn't remotely surprised when my dreams took a turn for the worst. But this time, it didn't look like this one took place too far in the future. Before now, I'd had dreams of when I was sixteen and older, not to mention the way they all seemed to be centred around Apollo, and no demigod should ever be _that_ close to a god. I was still to figure out if these dreams were actually showing the future, or whether they were just a figment of my imagination, but if this one was anything to go by, I might not have that long to wait until I figured it out.

It didn't seem to have anything to do with Apollo. It still showed me, in the not so distant future, but there was no sign of him or any of the other Olympians. I was curled up at the end of a small bed, bruised and bleeding, in tattered, dirty clothing. My hands kept running through my hair anxiously, and my knuckles were cracked and sore. Wherever I was, I obviously wasn't there of free will.

The door to the room suddenly opened, and a tall, lean figure stepped inside. His hair was neatly gelled back and his blue eyes shone brightly despite the lack of light. Dressed in a white, button down shirt, smart trousers and fancy shoes, I almost didn't recognise Luke Castellan. I remembered him as the laid-back sort, in his CAMP HALF-BLOOD shirt and shorts. I don't suppose it should have surprised me to see he'd changed so much now.

At the sight of me, Luke hesitated in the doorway, a small frown on his face. "You don't look well, Acacia," he told me quietly. I lifted my head long enough to glower at him wryly, but said nothing. "You could say thank you."

"I have nothing to thank you for," I snapped back. My voice was harsh and sore, catching in my throat more times than I thought it should have done.

"I saved your life," he scowled.

"It's your fault it's in danger in the first place!"

"No, it's their fault!" Luke yelled back, and my eyes flashed furiously. He let out a short, harsh laugh. "You're still defending them? After everything they have done to you?"

My expression faltered for a moment, and something like panic flickered through my eyes. Luke caught onto it in the same second, stepping forward and crouching down in front of me. I shuffled as far away from him as I could, frowning down at him. "Look at what they've done to you, Acacia," he said, all his anger fading. He was trying to appeal to my better nature. "This isn't something a family that cares does to each other. What have you done to deserve this?"

I wanted to answer, but I couldn't. "You spent your entire childhood protecting your mother from Hades' wrath," Luke reminded me. "And the gods let you spend a year at the mercy of the same god, a god driven by revenge." I flinched at the memory, but still didn't say anything. "Then they pick you to complete twelve impossible tests, while allowing Hera to try and kill you and sending you back to the Underworld. And now what? They send you to Scotland and leave you alone. All apart from the ridiculous Sun god, of course. He just can't leave you be, can he? Look how that helped you. Now most of the Olympians want you dead, merely because you're an inconvenience. You're worth more than this, Acacia."

I spent a long time staring at my feet, blinking the tears out of my eyes. My entire body was quivering, my expression so pained it was a miracle I didn't cave under the pressure. Pursing his lips, Luke straightened out and reached forward. But he'd pushed it too far, and in the same second, I slapped his hand away with a furious scowl, tears still streaming down my cheeks.

"So was Thalia," I snarled through my teeth. "And you killed her. _Again."_

A loud bang made me bolt upright, gasping for breath. With a hammering heart and wide-eyes, it took me a moment or two to adjust my vision back to the dark motel room I'd fallen asleep in. Shivers ran across my skin in fear, and tears were streaming down my cheeks. Once again, the locket around my neck was hot and painful, but I barely noticed it.

I was right. Apollo was going to get me killed, if not by Luke then definitely the Olympians. And somehow, Luke had managed to kill Thalia . . . again? That wasn't possible. But I'd seen the tears in my own eyes, and felt the anger in my words. Whatever had happened, I was convinced he'd hurt my sister. But Thalia was already dead. No one could hurt her now.

Another bang rattled the walls of the motel room, and I tensed on the spot, my hand reaching for my locket. "Acacia, so help me if you don't open this door," Apollo's furious voice came and I let out a stunned whimper, bolting across the room as fast as possible and yanking the door open before he did anything rash.

The Sun god glowered at me for a moment. "Why didn't you-" He cut off, his expression slowly straightening as I caught my breath. "What happened?" he asked with a concerned frown.

"Nothing," I answered, my voice a little too high to be believable.

His frown deepened, and without a word, he lifted a hand and wiped the back of his finger across my cheek. I shivered, but turned away and wiped the rest of the tears away hurriedly. "Want to explain?" Apollo questioned quietly.

"Not really."

"Ace," he started softly.

"I don't see you in any hurry to explain anything," I frowned, running a hand through my hair and slipping out of the motel room.

"You're a demigod," he retorted easily. "I'm an Olympian, it's different."

I shot him a withering look, long enough to roll my eyes at him. "I had a bad dream, okay? It's nothing life threatening."

"Bad enough to make you cry?"

"Looking back at my childhood, is that so hard to understand?" I retorted coolly. Apollo's expression set, and with a heavy sigh, he wrapped a hand around my forearm gently and pulled me a fraction closer. I took a deep breath to object, but he scowled and shook his head once, lifting his hands to my face. With a slight gasp, I went rigid in his hold, unable to stop myself shaking all over.

"I'm sorry, you were right," Apollo murmured, and he was that close I could feel his breath trailing down my throat. A lump formed in my throat, and somehow, I was suddenly close enough to feel his chest pressed against mine. My heart raced, loud enough I was sure he could hear it. If he did, he didn't say anything. Carefully, he wiped his thumbs across my cheeks, despite the fact I was sure I'd already done that. "I just don't like seeing you cry."

I wasn't sure how I was supposed to answer that, but it wasn't until his thumb caught my lips, now stood so close my eyes seemed unable to see anything but him, that I pushed myself out of his hold and cleared my throat, still shivering furiously. My heart was still hammering, so fast it was starting to hurt, and I couldn't bring myself to look back up at him.

Apollo cleared his throat, straightening out and turning toward the car park. "Come on," he said, casting me a cautious glance. "We need to get moving."

I really wanted to complain, to put my foot down and head for the airport alone. But I couldn't even find my voice, let alone get into an argument with an Olympian god, so I fell into step as far away from him as I could and followed him across the car park toward an impressive, red sports car.

Unlocking the doors, Apollo shot me a look, like he was expecting me to bombard him with questions again. I should have done. For one, I had no idea how a car was going to get us to Scotland. But I just opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat, curling my legs up beneath me and keeping as much distance between me and the god as possible.

_He's a god, Acacia,_ I kept telling myself, hating the way that one thought was enough to send shivers down my spine. _Being that close to a god is forbidden for a reason. You'll just get more people hurt._

I repeated those words to myself constantly for what felt like the next hour. Apollo had started the car in a blinding, golden light that had momentarily made me forget why I wasn't talking to him. "What was that?" I blinked, cringing away from the window.

Apollo smirked. "That, Acacia, is called the sun," he told me in a patronising tone.

I shot him a stunned look. "You're telling me that this car pulls the sun across the sky?" I gawped. He nodded, suitably pleased he'd shocked me. But slowly, I was starting to see why he'd so readily agreed to leave me alone when we reached Scotland, and it was replacing my surprise with an anger that made my fists clenched and my eyebrows tighten. "Last I checked, the sun rose in the east and moved west," I pointed out sourly.

His expression wavered a moment. "And?"

"Scotland is east of here," I scowled. "That's the point, isn't it? We're travelling in the wrong direction through almost every other continent!"

"Safest way to get you there," he shrugged simply, not in the least bit phased by the glower settling into my features.

"Gods, you're impossible," I grumbled, slumping in my chair and folding my arms over my chest irritably. Apollo glanced quickly in my direction, his lips twitching, but he said nothing and turned his attention back to his driving.

The problem was, he could only drive the sun so fast, meaning it was going to be a long time before we finally reached Glasgow. I wasn't entirely sure I could stay angry at him the whole time.


	4. Three: Home Sweet Home

"Still annoyed?" Apollo was smirking as we crossed Japan awhile later.

I fidgeted in my seat, shooting him a withering look. "I should have known there'd be a catch," I mumbled, more to myself than him.

Laughing, he nodded and winked across at me. "You'll get used to it."

"No, I won't," I scowled. "As soon as I get out of this car, I'm on my own, remember?"

He shrugged, still smirking. "Sure. Whatever you say."

"That is not filling me with confidence, Apollo," I scolded. "I'm being serious, you can't keep showing up whenever you feel like it!"

"I thought we'd already sorted this out," he sighed, leaning back slightly. "And I distinctly remember asking you not to talk about it again."

"Which makes me think you're up to something," I supplied suspiciously.

Apollo just chuckled. "Put it to the back of your mind, Ace," he advised. "After all, how many chances do you think you're going to get to travel around the world?" I sighed, staring at him uncertainly for a moment. He had a point. We were driving low enough to see some of the more distinct landmarks, and even just glancing out of the window, the sights easily took my breath away.

"I really need to get out more," I commented wryly, staring down at the city of Tokyo.

"Make it through the summer, and I might be able to help you with that," Apollo smiled. I gave him a frustrated look, but he just laughed at me again, holding his hands out in surrender. "I just meant plane tickets! Take Percy Jackson, the satyr and that Annabell girl you're always with."

"Annabeth," I corrected with a frown. "_That_ satyr is called Grover, and Percy isn't allowed to fly." He shrugged at me, and my eyes rolled as I turned back to the window. He couldn't even be bothered to learn my best friends' names and he wondered why I thought the gods were favouring me.

It took hours to reach Glasgow, and most of them were spent trying to getting into another argument with Apollo. I could tell it irritated him that almost all of our conversation ended that way, and I didn't dare point out that I _made_ them end that way. It was far too easy to be around him, and arguing with him and getting myself worked up was the only way I could find to keep any sort of distance.

We were crossing Greece by the time he got fed up of it, and the muscles in his jaw were locked tight. I'd curled up against the passenger side door, my hair falling in front of my face and my chin resting on my knees. What we'd been arguing about this time, I wasn't entirely sure, but this time, without a word, Apollo started moving the car into a descent.

I lifted my head, glancing out of the window with a curious frown. "Where are we now?" I asked quietly. He didn't answer. Pursing my lips tightly, I tried to squint through the bright light surrounding us and thought I could make out the faint outline of an old ruin. The car landed a little awkwardly, but the moment it had stopped moving, Apollo yanked the keys out of the ignition and pushed himself out of the car without so much as a look in my direction. Gulping hard, I wrapped my jacket around my body a little tighter and followed him silently.

Despite the fact we'd literally brought the sun with us, outside was freezing. We were stood in the middle of a grass clearing, at the edge of which stood the ruins. Large pillars rose high into the sky, moulded with intricate details, and some lay broken across the floor to the right. Overhead, clouds rolled in, and I shuddered as I looked up at it. It looked as though the thunderstorm had found us again, which wasn't good news. Why on Earth was Zeus annoyed with us this time? Whatever the reason, it didn't seem to bother Apollo. He moved a reasonable distance away from the car, his hands in his pockets as he scanned the ruins in vague curiosity. I had to admit, they were quite beautiful, but I wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting to see.

Apollo flicked his gaze back toward me for a moment, snorting softly. "What do you think?" he asked loudly, throwing his arms out to the sides.

I blinked, still holding myself tight in a vain attempt to warm up. Looking around, my stomach was starting to squirm. The smell of ozone was back again, but now it was paired with an intense feeling of power. Sure, it was somewhat dulled in comparison to when I was holding my father's Master Bolt last year, but it was still there, and I didn't like it in the slightest. "I think it's freezing and we're stood staring at ruins that are starting to give me the creeps," I said, pursing my lips. "Why exactly is that?"

"Because these aren't just any ruins," he told me. "This was once a temple dedicated to Zeus."

"Seriously?" I gawped, twisting to look around myself properly. The ruins seemed to hum with raw power, and I shuddered again. Figuring it was only right, I turned away from Apollo long enough to close my eyes and send a silent prayer to my father. A low rumble of thunder came in acknowledgement, and behind me, Apollo chuckled slightly. "What?" I frowned, glancing back at him.

He held his hands out in surrender with a small, wry smile. "Nothing, you're right. Zeus would've hated it if his daughter came here without any consideration. You're learning pretty quick, Ace." Winking once, he turned away again dejectedly, and I found myself wondering why he was so upset. It obviously bothered him, being here, so why had he brought me here? Besides, being in a temple dedicated to my father in the company of Apollo, of all of the gods, didn't seem like a good idea to me.

Watching him though, I couldn't bring myself to be mad at him anymore. I knew that forcing him into arguments was the only way to distance myself, but it was obviously getting to him, much more than I thought it should have done. "I'm sorry," I started nervously, moving to stand beside him slowly. "For arguing so much."

He scoffed. "Not your fault."

"Actually, it is," I grimaced at him, shuddering when he frowned down at me. "It's just . . . arguing is a lot better than . . ." I trailed off, flushing slightly. "You're still not supposed to be near me."

Apollo didn't say anything for a moment, then sighed heavily and ran a hand through hair, staring at me with a torn expression. "I know," he finally conceded quietly. "That's kind of why I stopped here."

"I don't understand," I admitted with a shake of my head.

"Even I'm not stupid enough to get too close to Zeus's daughter stood in the middle of his temple," he murmured, leaning close enough to whisper. My eyes widened a fraction, and my cheeks were suddenly burning red, but a flash of lightning overhead made Apollo sigh heavily and move back again. "Forcing me into arguments might've seemed like a good idea to you, but trust me, I had more than a few ideas of how to stop you."

"I really don't want to hear," I gulped, shaking my head again and keep my eyes fixed to the ground.

He laughed lightly, smirking at me smugly. "Yes, you do. That's half the problem."

I cleared my throat, shifting on the spot. "And the other half?"

"I'm incredibly protective of the women in my life," he told me. "Just ask Artemis and my Mum. And you have a nasty habit of finding the worst trouble there is."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," I assured him hurriedly, taking a few steps away. "I've been doing it long enough to know how it works."

"Good," he nodded with a smirk. "You're going to need it. I meant what I said back in New York, Ace. As long as everyone else leaves you alone, so will I. Other than your tests, obviously. Still got to finish mine, remember?"

The way his smirk suddenly grew very wide made my lips purse. "I was trying to forget," I grimaced.

He laughed. "Well, I _am_ trying to find something a little more, err, _delicate."_

"And that is the sound of impending doom," I sighed, turning and heading back for the car.

"Aww, come on, Ace, it won't be that bad!" he exclaimed, still laughing as he followed me. I rolled my eyes at him for what felt like the hundredth time, climbing back into the car silently. Chuckling, he did the same, reaching out and turning his CD player on. I flinched back at the sound of very loud hip-hop music blaring from the speakers.

"Gods, you've got to be kidding me," I groaned, pulling a face at him. "You're the god of music, and you listen to _this?"_

Apollo frowned. "What's wrong with it?"

"I can't believe you have to ask that," I sighed, shaking my head at him exasperatedly.

"Okay, so enlighten me," he smiled smugly, twisting to face me. "What kind of music do you listen to?"

"At the moment, Green Day," I shrugged.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Seriously? You?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I scowled. He smirked at me again without a word. "If you must know, it reminds me of Thalia. She loved Green Day."

"Then Green Day it is," he grinned, and with a snap of his fingers, the hip-hop music was replaced with Green Day's _Holiday._ Smiling gratefully, I settled back into the seat as he started the car again.

I think I fell asleep after that, but I couldn't be sure because I couldn't remember dreaming. Instead, I woke up just as we were crossing into Glasgow with a foggy, contented feeling, almost as if I'd been drugged. Apollo was drumming on the steering wheel absent-mindedly, and my lips tugged into a smile when I realised Green Day was still playing on the stereo.

"This isn't the only band I listen to you know," I commented, yawning and stretching out as much as I could.

Apollo smiled. "How'd you know I didn't switch it over while you were sleeping?"

"And turn it back just in time for me to wake up?" I asked sceptically.

"I'm the god of prophecy, Ace," he said smugly. "I know _everything."_

I laughed before I could stop myself, and he pouted childishly. "The modesty just rolls off you, you know that?"

"I was aware," he sniffed indignantly. I smiled, one of the first real smiles I'd had since roughly Christmas last year, when Percy tried to put reindeer antlers on Sasha with disastrous results. "Well, here we are. Home sweet home, huh?"

My smile slipped, a little too quickly, as Apollo pulled the car to a halt in a very familiar cul-de-sac. He sighed heavily and turned to me with a tight smile, but it didn't last long. "You alright, Ace?"

"Not really," I admitted, clearing my throat and pushing the car door open. He followed me without a word, and part of me wanted to tell him to leave now. Worryingly, the other part didn't want him to leave at all.

The cul-de-sac was quiet and calm this early in the morning. All of the houses were locked up tightly, with their curtains shut and lights off. Cars gleamed in the sunrise, parked carefully in each driveway, and I was surprised to see that there were two cars parked beside Mary Cunningham's house. I knew the first – a black, three-door Ford Focus – was Mary's, and I swore I recognised the second – a sleek, gun-metal grey Audi A4.

"Here goes nothing," I grimaced back at Apollo, and he nodded back at me with a stern expression. With a deep breath, I lifted my hand and knocked sharply on the door of Number Three.

In the same second, a bark sliced the air and I went rigid on the spot. The barking grew closer, and something scratched against the door with a whine. Blinking, I glanced at Apollo in surprise. "Sasha?" I called through the door.

_My lady!_ Sasha's relieved voice came as lights flickered in the upstairs window. _It is brilliant to hear your voice again!_

I laughed a little uncertainly, frowning as Apollo backed up a few steps. "It's good to be back," I replied, my eyes never leaving Apollo's reluctant expression.

"Good luck, Ace," he murmured. "But if your little wolf realises I'm here, Artemis will have my head, and I won't be the only god you can't get away from." Winking once, he slipped back into the car and was driving away from the door even opened.

But it wasn't Mary who was stood in the doorway.

It was my old History teacher, Mr Graham.


	5. Four: Protection Detail

"Mr Graham?" I gawped, wide eyed.

He smiled back at me a little wryly. He looked just like I remembered him; tall, golden hair flecked with grey and chocolate brown eyes that were usually remarkably stern. Now though, he looked thoroughly relieved to see me, a look I never usually received from teachers. Stranger than that, he was stood in pyjama trousers and a baggy shirt.

"Acacia Grace," he smiled warmly. "It's brilliant to see you again. After the mess at the museum, you had me worried."

"You're not the only one," I managed to laugh nervously. Sasha whined loudly from behind his legs and Mr Graham started, moving back slightly so that she could reach me. Without warning, she leapt forward and jumped up to put her paws on my stomach. "Hey, Sasha," I smiled tightly. "Miss me much?"

_I was incredibly worried about you, my lady,_ Sasha whined in her throat.

"And I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself," I assured her, ignoring the feeling that I'd been repeating myself for what felt like days.

"Mary and Felicity have been worried sick, you know," Mr Graham told me, his eyebrows pulling together slightly.

I squirmed as Sasha dropped back to the ground by my feet, immediately falling back into guard-dog mode. "Where are they now?"

"Felicity is upstairs sleeping," he answered, pointing to the stairs behind him. "And Mary is at a hotel about half an hour from here. She's been talking to Daniel all day, trying to sort everything out in her head. I offered to pick her up, but she said she need some time to think things over. She'll call when she wants collected."

I hesitated, scanning his expression and running a hand through my hair thoughtfully. I wasn't sure what was weirder; that Mary heard about the world of demigods and monsters then wanted to be _alone,_ or that Mr Graham was stood in the doorway of my old house in his pyjamas. Shaking myself, I opted for the slightly safer question. "Daniel's here?" I was ashamed to admit I hadn't seen him much since I'd been dragged into Camp Half-Blood, what with the small matter of a missing Master Bolt, the son of Poseidon and a rogue demigod. But before that, back when I was still just Kelsey Connor, we'd been very good friends.

Mr Graham smiled knowingly. "Yes, he is. He and a couple of the other campers came over here when they heard you were in trouble."

Something about that made me frown a little. "Why?" I blinked. "Why is everyone so paranoid all of a sudden?"

He didn't answer, turning away so that I couldn't see his face as he shrugged. "You should come in and warm up," he instructed. "Felicity should be up soon, she can't wait to see you again." Casting an uncertain look in Sasha's direction, I stepped into the house, unable to stop my fingers threading through the locket chain around my neck.

"So, err," I started slowly, watching Mr Graham turn the TV on and slumped into the armchair by the window. Sasha instantly curled up at my feet, watching him with her piercing blue eyes. "I don't mean to sound rude, Mr Graham, but why-"

He laughed and waved me away, his eyes shining. "Please Acacia, call me Matt. And in answer to your question, I've been living with Mary for almost seven months now."

"Oh," I said, squirming uncomfortably on the spot. "I just . . . I mean . . . why were you at my school?"

"Because I'm a History teacher," he replied, like it should have been obvious. I stared for a moment, but his lips broke into another smile. "I'm a demigod, Acacia. One of the very few who can live a mortal life in peace."

I snorted before I could stop myself. "You wanted to live a mortal life in peace and you chose to be _my_ teacher?"

Luckily, he laughed. "It does seem quite ironic," he agreed. "However, I seem to remember that you wanted peace this year and chose to live with Perseus Jackson."

"You make a good point," I grimaced, and he smiled at me in amusement, taking a deep breath and shaking himself.

"Well, you'll probably want to clean yourself up and get a change of clothes, I guess. There are some things in your old room that should fit."

"Thanks Mr G- Matt," I amended quickly. He chuckled at me, turning his attention to the TV as I headed upstairs.

From the landing, I could hear Felicity snoring softly for her room beside mine, and a small smile slipped over my lips. Of course, I hadn't just forgotten her and Mary while I was living in New York, but being here and knowing that I'd have to leave all over again sooner or later hurt a lot more than I'd anticipated while I'd been in Apollo's car. Then again, while I was with Apollo, logic and reasoning didn't seem to factor in.

Shaking myself, I grabbed a fresh towel and clean clothes from the end of my bed and slipped into the bathroom. I showered as quickly as I could and dressed into the pair of grey skinny jeans, a black vest top that read _Now or Never_, and a thick pair of worn, black combat boots I was surprised still fit.

"Feel better?" Matt yawned as I stepped back downstairs.

"Much," I nodded gratefully. "But I need to speak with Daniel and the others as soon as possible. Which hotel did you say they were staying at?"

Matt shifted, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "Wouldn't it be better to leave that until a little later on?"

"Why?" He cast an odd look over his shoulder, and I suddenly remembered Sally looking at me exactly like that before I left for school with Percy. "Seriously, what's going on?" I frowned at him, folding my arms over my chest and he turned away from me again. "Mr Graham?"

"It's Matt," he corrected persistently.

My lips pursed. "Do you know what happened to Percy?" I asked. "If Luke was in New York-"

"Percy was a little distracted by some monsters that appeared at his school," Matt told me with an stern expression. "Annabeth Chase found him and the two of them are currently at Camp Half-Blood."

"Percy's at camp?" I blinked, oddly hurt. Matt gave me another strange look. "Chiron said it was too dangerous for the two of us this summer."

"It is," he nodded slowly. "But Percy had no choice. Fortunately for you, you're always welcome to come back here."

"So Percy headed to camp, despite that fact that it's dangerous for him there," I clarified with a scowl. "Whereas I've been deported from the country? _Again?"_

"You weren't deported, Acacia," Matt scolded sharply. "This is for your protection."

"Protection from what?" I gawped. "I've _never_ heard of a demigod being treated like this before, so would you _please_ answer at least one question?"

"I'm not allowed to do that."

"Fine," I huffed moodily. "Then tell me where Daniel is staying."

"He knows less than I do," he warned me.

"Good," I mumbled. "At least then I might actually have a normal conversation. You know, I knew there was a reason I liked talking to Percy so much. He's almost always just as confused as I am."

Matt lifted an eyebrow, but shook his head and took a deep breath, pulling a card out of his pocket. "This is where the boys are staying and their room number," he told me. "There's a bus that runs straight there from the bottom of the road. Try not to get into any trouble."  
I scoffed before I could help it. "It's like you don't know me at all."

Ordering Sasha to stay with Matt and Felicity, I left the house and broke into a light run. It took longer than I'd have liked to get to the hotel Daniel and the others were staying at, but forty-five minutes after climbing onto the bus. It took me another ten minutes to navigate busy-body old ladies that decided to talk to me in the elevator on the way up to the right room. I smiled tightly and answered in small sentences and a clipped tone, but they didn't seem to get the message.

Half an hour later, I knocked on the door to Daniel's room dejectedly, rubbing my temples with a deep breath. "Calm yourself, Acacia," I mumbled to myself with a frown. "It's only going to get worse."

The door opened, and Daniel smiled widely from the other side. He was bigger than I remembered, with almost twice the amount of muscle he'd had this time last year and longer hair that stood up on end, ruffled and windswept. He was stood in baggy jeans and an orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirt, with a slim, silver chain wrapped loosely around his wrists. I knew from past experience that it was actually a magical item that turned into a sharp spear when needed.

"Hey Acacia," he smiled, giving me a rare hug before I could move away. "Wondered when you were going to get here."

"As soon as I could," I grimaced, stepping into the room and fixing my expressions when Will Solace and Jake Mason jumped to their feet. It was a little unnerving to see Will stood on the other side of the room smiling widely at me. He looked a lot like his father, Apollo, with sun-kissed sandy hair, sparkling blue eyes and a tall, athletic surfer build. Jake Mason, on the other hand, was a little shorter and stockier, with more muscles and rough hands from working on the forges at Camp.

"Figured you might need these," Jake smiled, holding out two very familiar sheaths in his hands.

I couldn't help smiling with a small laugh. "You found them?"

"Chiron did awhile back," he snorted with a shake of his head. "I'm not stupid enough to waltz into Cabin One and riffle through your stuff, even for you."

"Well, thank you anyway," I smiled, taking them off his hands gratefully. Unsheathing one of the swords, I swung it in expertly in my hand, thoroughly relieved that I hadn't lost too much of my edge. But when lightning crackled across its surface, barely contained, I grimaced and sheathed it quickly as Jake and Will took a step back.

"Still got it then?" Will scoffed a little weakly.

"Looks like it," I agreed, placing both sheaths down carefully and perching myself on the edge of a long dresser that sat in front of two small beds. "So, what's going on? Why are you all here?"

"That's an excellent question, Acacia," Daniel sighed heavily. "But honestly, we don't really know."

There was silence for a moment, and I glanced at the three of them in surprise. Wondering whether things could get any more complicated, I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath. "Who sent you here?"

"Chiron," Will answered immediately. "Before he was-" Jake cleared his throat loudly, kicking out at him with a pointed, panicked look.

My stomach twisted, my muscles tensed anxiously. "Before he was what?" I scowled, but even if the others were going to answer me, they didn't get the opportunity. Thunder rumbled the building, and a flash of lightning made Will flinch away from the window. Lowering my head into my hands, I resisted the urge to allow myself to break down then and there. "Will someone please just tell me what the hell is going on?"

All three of them shuffled uncomfortably. "He's just a little busy right now, that's all," Daniel assured me. "But he sent us here because he thinks that Luke is coming for you."

"Me?" I blinked in surprise. "Why?" He glanced sideways at Will.

"We don't know," Will muttered with a grimace. "There's a lot going on at the moment, and we're only being told what the gods class as _need-to-know._"

Drumming my fingertips on the side of my thigh, I chewed the inside of my lip in thought. "Okay, so what do you know? Where's Luke now?"

"Last we heard, he was on a ship crossing the Atlantic," Daniel told me, suddenly business-like. "We reckon it'll take him at least a week to get here, so that gives us time to set up some early warning systems Jake brought with him and make sure he can't sneak up on us again."

I glanced between the two of them with a small frown. I wasn't entirely sure if they knew Luke had already attacked my school, or even if I should mention it. The idea of lying to them didn't much appeal to me, but then, neither did telling them that Apollo had kidnapped me. Pursing my lips, I ran a hand through my hair and cast an anxious glance between the three of them. "I don't like this," I admitted. "Something's wrong."

They exchanged looks I didn't understand. "Like what?" Jake asked slowly.

"If I knew, things would be a lot easier," I pointed out. "I just have a really bad feeling, and I don't like the idea of waiting for Luke to make the first move."

"What else can we do?" Will grimaced. "We don't even know where he is right now."

"Or what he wants," I added irritably. "All of it just . . . sets me on edge."

Daniel sighed heavily, straightening himself out importantly. "Right now, you have a family to catch up with," he told me with a small smile. "We'll head out to the docks nearby and see if we can find anything out, but that might take a while. We'll try to be back before the end of the week."

I scowled, pursing my lips tightly. "Keep me updated."

"We will," Will assured me with a stern expression. Daniel shuffled reluctantly beside me, but said nothing.

"Come on, I'll show you where Mary's staying," Jake offered. "Matt should be coming to collect her soon." Flicking my gaze uncertainly between Daniel and Will, I nodded with a deep breath and let Jake lead the way out of the hotel room.

"There's something else going on, isn't there?" I asked, the moment the door was shut behind us.

Jake's eyes glanced quickly in my direction, then dropped to the ground as we walked. "I don't know what you mean."

I hesitated, forcing myself to keep my expression straight. "If you're not allowed to say, just tell me. I'm not going to beat it out of you, Jake."

He sighed, shooting me a sympathetic look that made the muscles in my shoulders tense. "If it was up to me, I'd tell you," he told me quietly. "Honestly, if anyone was going to sort it all out, it's you and Percy. But things are working a little differently this summer, and our opinion means less than normal, which is saying something. I'm sorry, Acacia, but you're going to have to trust the others to figure it out. Focus on beating Luke for now."

"And that's looking so simple," I replied in a quiet, sarcastic tone. "Can you answer one question?"

"Depends," he winced. "What's up?"

"Please tell me everyone is still okay?"

He stared at me for a second, and my stomach dropped. "No one you know from last summer has been hurt," he muttered. "Physically, at least. But . . ."

"But what?"

"I doubt that will make much difference when you finally get back there," he admitted wryly as we came to a halt outside another hotel room.

"That sounds ominous," I gulped, but he just grimaced and lifted a hand to knock on the door.

There was a long pause before she answered. "Err, come in!" Mary's shaky, nervous voice came, and immediately I knew something was wrong. Shooting Jake a pointed look, I flicked my locket open easily and turned the door handle.

Inside, however, my body went rigid and my throat closed up at the sight of a very recognisable goddess.

"My, my, Acacia Grace," Aphrodite smiled. "I've been waiting for this moment for a _very_ long time."


	6. Five: The Fifth Test

Aphrodite glanced around the room with her nose wrinkled in disgust. I gathered she wasn't used to staying in cheap, tacky hotels with lumpy beds and itchy blankets.

It took a few moments, but Aphrodite finally sighed and waved a dismissive hand at Mary and Daniel. "You may leave," she told them airily without looking at them. "Little Miss Grace will be safe enough with me."

The way her eyes shone made me shudder slightly, but neither of them argued, walking straight toward the door as if in a trance. My mouth went a little dry in fear, my muscles tensing when the door shut with a dull thud behind them.

"You know, for a girl making such a fuss amongst the gods, you don't look like much," Aphrodite told me with a cringe, flicking my hair with the tip of her finger casually. "And a _mortal_ girl, at that. But that is the interesting part, isn't it?"

I stared at her for a moment, trying to find my voice. Never before had a god intimidated me the way she did just by standing in front of me with that small, knowing smile on her lips, and I'd been at the mercy of Lord Hades before now. But I knew I could handle physical pain, if I knew I was dealing with it for a good cause. Emotional pain – the kind of pain Aphrodite thrived on – terrified me to my very core. I'd had my fair share of that before now, and I wasn't sure I could take much more of it.

And worst still, I had a funny feeling I knew who it was about.

Aphrodite chuckled quietly, her eyes flashing in triumph already. "Worried, Miss Grace?"

I forced myself to clear my throat. "Should I be?"

"That'd be telling," she smiled. Carefully, she reached forward and took the gold chain around my neck between her fingertips. My chest tightened and I had to shove my clenched fists behind my back hurriedly before I slapped her hands away. Slipping the chain through her fingers until she reached the locket on the end, her smile grew and her eyes flicked upward to meet mine again. "What a beautiful locket. A gift, wasn't it?"

I couldn't answer, but I didn't need to. Releasing the locket, she took a step away and scanned my clothes. "I debated for days how best to test a girl like you," she said. "Honestly, I was half-tempted to force you to dress better. Just because you're fighting monsters doesn't mean you have to look like something the Underworld spat out."

"It did," I pointed out sourly. "Twice."

She ignored me. "But then, I noticed something. Did you know that the minor gods are starting to question the Olympians?"

_Uh-oh._ My stomach twisted in panic, I shook my head at her slowly.

"Do you know why they're questioning our judgement?"

Again, I shook my head.

Aphrodite smirked slyly. "Take a guess, Acacia Grace."

"Apollo," I breathed with a frown.

"You're not as dim as Athena seems to think," she smiled at me. "Zeus is clueless, of course. However arrogant Apollo is, he isn't stupid enough to flirt with Zeus's daughter right under his nose. But something about you has him coming back for more, and he isn't going to stop."

"Yes he is," I scowled, suddenly furious.

She barely noticed. "No, he isn't, because he can't. Has he ever told you why he let you keep that locket? Or why he's so paranoid about your safety?"

I shook my head until my hair shifted around my face. "I don't want to know," I lied, hating the way my stomach couldn't sit still and the shivers that traced over my cold skin. Aphrodite was handing me the answers to the questions I'd been asking myself for almost a year, but I knew I didn't want to pay the price for them. The problem was, I was starting to think I didn't have much of a choice.

"Of course you want to know," she continued. "You need to know just as much as he does. See, Apollo has never been one for settling. Just look at how many children he has! He told me once, a few centuries ago, that true love – the love a mortal may feel when they choose to live the rest of their life with one person – was for fools."

"Oh gods," I groaned before I could help it, and Aphrodite's eyes flashed.

"I warned him he'd learn the hard way. And much to my surprise, there he was, yelling the odds last night because he thinks I'm being unreasonable."

"Wherever would he get that idea?" I found myself sighing.

"Do not push me, Acacia Grace," she glowered. "I gave Apollo a choice; either he helps you and suffers the consequences, or he leaves you be. Whatever he chooses, it won't be easy and there's no saying he'll get what he wants." She hesitated, scanning my expression. "If I wasn't making myself clear, that's you."

"I got it," I admitted in a weak, quiet voice.

"I'm giving you the same choice, Miss Grace," Aphrodite frowned, suddenly straightening herself out. "Soon, you'll be faced with a choice, and when you are, the stakes will have never been and will never be as high again. This is your test, Acacia Grace, so choose carefully. The right choice isn't always the one that will make you happiest."

_Reassuring,_ I thought dryly. _Either I'll be happy, or I'll be alive._ It worried me ever so slightly to realise I couldn't decide which was more important.

Aphrodite didn't seem to care that I was shaking in fear. Instead, she slipped past me and glided toward the door, hesitating long enough to fix her hair in the mirror. "Oh, and Acacia?" she added as an after-thought. "Just a word of warning; whatever you decide to do, falling in love with a god hurts, particularly when the god in question isn't ever going to let you go."

As my heart seized in sheer panic, she shot me what looked like a sympathetic look, then shook herself abruptly, as if realising what she was doing, and let herself out of the room.

Without warning, I felt my legs weaken until I slumped onto the end of the bed, shaking all over. I'd known all along that Apollo was dangerous, and since Luke had witnessed him kidnapping me, I'd figured he was most likely going to get me killed. Hearing it from Aphrodite of all the gods just made it seem worse. Much worse. And apparently, falling in love with Apollo wasn't something I had much say in.

The next few days were horrible. None of us really understood why I'd been brought back here, and Mary seemed to be taking the whole demigod daughter of Lord Zeus situation very badly. She wouldn't look at me for more than a few seconds, and despite the fact she'd known that Matt was a demigod too, her attitude didn't seem to be improving.

Felicity, on the other hand, loved having me back, which made things infinitely easier to manage. Every time Mary acted strange, or I found myself weaving my locket between my fingers nervously, all I had to do was find the little girl and spend half an hour listening to her giggle and play with her toys. I wasn't sure what it was exactly about her that seemed to radiate strength, as though this one little girl could cure the world. The thought made me smile slightly.

It took a whole week for things to go bad again, though I wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing. I might have had a week of peace, but it was a week spent looking over my shoulder just in case.

"KEL – err – ACACIA!" Mary's yell sounded from downstairs, and I was suddenly struck with an irritating sense of déjà vu. Lay flat out on my bed and scowling at the ceiling, it took a moment or two before I could find it in me to answer.

"Yeah?"

"COME DOWN HERE A MOMENT PLEASE!"

The moment the words were out of her mouth, I bolted upright. Mary never wanted to see me alone these days, and I knew Matt was out taking Felicity to nursery for the morning. If she was asking for me, something was probably wrong. I wondered for a moment if that was just me being paranoid, trying to see danger where there was none. But it was only a fleeting moment, then I dismissed the thought entirely, pushing myself off the bed and snatching the hunting knife off my bedside table just in case as I rushed out.

Downstairs, Mary was stood in the kitchen doorway, biting her bottom lip in worry and shifting on the spot with a pale face. But it wasn't the sight of her in distress that made me choke out loud. Scattered around the front room, the three demigods that had apparently come over here to protect me from Luke were nursing a variety of wounds.

"What in the name of the gods happened to you three?" I breathed, my voice catching several times as my eyes widened a fraction.

Daniel lifted his head wryly, one of his hands clamped on his other arm so tight that blood was trickling between his fingers. "I think we found Luke," he told me simply. Beside him, Jake tried to scoff, but ended up choking violently and wincing when it stretched the burn on the side of his chin.

"And what? You decided to go and say hello?" I scoffed weakly, moving to help Will slump into the armchair as he tried to shake the dizziness away with several deliberate blinks and a shake of his head.

"Not exactly," Daniel groaned. "Let's just say he has a lot of back-up, and those aren't the kind of monsters you argue with."

Will snorted weakly, closing his eyes and leaning back in the chair. "Says the son of Ares." It was a testament to how worn out the three of them were that Daniel didn't even bother to glower in Will's direction.

"Mary, Matt keeps the nectar in the cupboard by the fridge," I sighed. "Can you bring it and some bandages please?" She nodded mutely, meeting my gaze for the first time since my plane landed. My lips pursed, but I didn't dare say anything else. Instead, I tried to bring Will around long enough for him to tell me what to do to help the three of them.

I was covered in blood by the time Matt got back, and Will was sleeping on the sofa, pale and exhausted. At least, I really hoped he was just sleeping. I felt my eyes slide in his direction every now and then to make sure he was still breathing, and though neither of the other two were completely out of it, they weren't much better off.

"You're lucky Will managed to heal most of that," I murmured at Daniel as Matt's car pulled up outside. He blinked once, then followed my gaze to a large gash on the side of his thigh. "Do you realise how close that came to killing you?"

"Vaguely," he snorted at me with a sarcastic roll of his eyes. I didn't even have the heart to scowl at him for it. "Acacia, we need to talk tactics."

A short, harsh laugh escaped my lips before I could help it. "_You_ need rest," I scolded.

"Acacia, if we don't do something soon, this entire house will be surrounded," he insisted with a weak glower, and my hands flinched as I wrapped a bandage around his forearm.

Gulping hard, I met his gaze unwaveringly. "I'll handle it," I assured him quietly. He immediately made to argue, but I cut him off with a look. "Daniel, if he really has got the kind of backup you think he has, I need the three of you rested and back on your feet. Until then, me and Matt will handle everything."

"He's about half a day's drive from here," he told me, and I sighed exasperatedly. "He won't travel immediately, he'll try to determine how much support you've got before making a move."

"I know, Daniel."

"They'll try to box you in, so you'll probably need some sort of diversion to draw their attention."

"Daniel, I know."

"And they can easily beat you with fire power, so you're going to have to opt for stealth. And using that lightning trick of yours wouldn't hurt either."

"Daniel!" I finally snapped, and he fell silent in surprise. "This is not the first time I've been in this situation, okay? I know what I'm doing." He didn't seem to realise what I meant immediately, but recognition slowly seemed to dawn on him and his expression slackened.

"These aren't your average monsters, Acacia," he muttered at me.

I sighed. "I know. But if I can handle whatever Hades can throw at me, I'm sure I can deal with Luke. For now, get some rest. As soon as the three of you are up and about, I wanted to get us out of here."

He frowned. "Why?"

"Because I'm not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice," I answered, more for myself than anyone else. A flash of my mother's face the morning I'd left her alone blocked my vision for a moment and my lips pursed. Gulping hard, I finished Daniel's bandage hurriedly and pushed myself to my feet.

The front door opened as I turned, and Matt stepped into the house with his usual smile. "Morning, Acacia!" he said cheerfully. "How-" As the door slammed shut behind him, he cut off, his face falling as he caught sight of the other three demigods. "What happened?" he said quietly. "Is Mary-"

"I'm fine!" she called from the kitchen where she was helping Jake, but at that moment, he yelped loudly. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"It's fine," he replied through gritted teeth, choking more than once.

Matt blinked, glancing at me and I sucked the air in through my teeth. "Long story," I mumbled. "First things first, do you know of anywhere else we could stay?"

Slowly, he nodded. "I still haven't managed to shift my place yet," he told me. "It's been on the market for ages, but you know how it is. You're welcoming to go there, but . . . why? The gods must have sent you here for a reason."

I flicked my gaze back to Daniel, but he didn't seem to be paying attention, fighting to keep himself awake. "I can't let Luke bring an army here," I told him under my breath. "The longer we stay here, the more attention we're putting on you, Mary and Felicity."

He nodded, but there was still a frown above his eyes. "I agree with you Acacia, but you can't rush into a decision like that."

I blinked, lifting an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"You're here for a reason," he repeated. "Do you know what that is?"

"Apparently, to keep me away from Camp and Luke, but that last option didn't work out very well."

"I didn't mean in Scotland," he told me patiently. "I meant _here._ In this house. If they knew you'd be so exposed again, why send you here of all places?"

I thought about it for a moment, then realised surprisingly quickly that I didn't care why I was here. "We're leaving as soon as the guys can move," I told him blandly. "End of story." He looked mildly surprised, and I tried not to let him know that I was just as shocked at my tone as he was. It had been a long time since I'd taken control of anything, and the last time was only because my alcoholic mother was in no fit state to be left in charge of a house and child.

"If that's what you think is best," he said slowly, and my lips pursed as he walked away.

"Did you just pull rank on him?" Daniel snorted behind me, and I sighed again. I'd really been hoping he couldn't hear us.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, everyone knows you're Zeus's daughter, what with all the lightning and that, but that might be the first time I've seen you act like it," he told me with a small smile. I frowned. "Don't take it the wrong way, it's a good thing. From what I can figure, you're going to need it."

"Thanks, Dan," I murmured. "Optimistic as always."

"Doesn't hurt being decisive in these situations," he pointed out, and my eyebrows tightened.

"I really hate decision-making," I admitted, for the first time out loud. He didn't answer, but he wouldn't have known what to say even if he had. Between Apollo, Aphrodite and Luke, I was really beginning to despise the moment I'd ever decided that a school trip to New York was a good idea.


	7. Six: Caught Out

Two days later, we were packed into the back of Matt's car and ready to leave. There hadn't been any sign of Luke yet, and it made me anxious. It worried me a little to think of how patient and deceptive he was. He'd easily managed to fool everyone at camp last summer, and he hadn't been in any rush to see his plan completed. He'd been cool and calm throughout the whole thing. I knew that if he thought he stood more of a chance waiting until we let our guard down, he'd wait as long as he had to.

Even worse, I knew one very persistent person who wasn't anywhere near as patient.

When I'd particularly begged Apollo not to come anywhere near me after he'd left me here, he'd agreed. A little reluctantly, but he'd given me his word he wouldn't visit me again. And I suppose, _technically_, he'd stayed well away just like he said he would. What he failed to mention however, were the not-so-subtle methods he'd taken to using to check up on me. For example, I'd only gone into the town centre for five minutes the other day to pick up a replacement for one of Felicity's toys after Jake had stabbed it repeatedly with a kitchen knife – long story, but in his defence, it did kind of remind me of a harpy. Still, on my way into the toy story I'd run headfirst into a girl about a head-shorter than me who hadn't even felt my elbow collided with the side of her face. In fact, I was the only one to stagger backward in surprise. She'd just beamed at me, clutching what looked like a tiny harp to her chest.

"Are you alright?" she asked in a strangely musical voice. I blinked, gawping at her in disbelief. Her smile never wavered, and for a moment, I thought I was losing it. Then I realised she was probably the only other person in a five mile radius with an American accent and my face fell.

"You've got to be kidding me," I frowned at her, my eyes locked onto the harp in her hands. She'd just giggled and floated away with a wink.

"A Muse?" Will had blinked at me when I explained what had taken me so long. "You met one of the Nine Muses of Apollo? How?"

"I'm extremely unlucky," I'd grumbled to myself. Fortunately, he'd been too stunned to listen to me.

On the other hand, that wasn't nearly as disturbing as half of the dreams I'd been having since I arrived here. I knew for a fact that it was Apollo directly influencing them, instead of the locket having the nasty side-effect of showing me the future because the metal hadn't burnt the skin it sat on for about a week. And still, every time I closed my eyes, I found myself in a dream having a perfectly normal conversation with the Sun God, or on one strange occasion, bowling at a bowling alley I'd visited with Percy and Sally in the first week I'd stayed with them.

However you looked at it, Apollo was still there. I could just about handle the random visits from a Muse, but controlling my dreams? It made me incredibly uncomfortable to think he could manipulate my thoughts so easily, and the fact that I never realised they were just dreams until I woke up didn't help matters.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Matt asked for the hundredth time as he handed me the keys to his old home. It wasn't much; just a small cottage on the outskirts of town. But that was probably a good thing. I wasn't entirely sure it would still be standing when we were finished.

"Better than bringing you into any more trouble," I insisted.

"I still can't shift the feeling we're missing something." I hesitated, then sighed heavily and pulled a cheap mobile phone out of my pocket and handed it to him. He blinked. "We're not supposed to use these."

"I'm well aware of that," I grimaced. "But if you need it, you'll already be in more trouble than you can handle." He didn't look very reassured, but I stepped out of the car in time to catch Will's arm before he staggered again.

"Thanks," he mumbled at me. He and Daniel had fortunately recovered a lot quicker than I had thought they would, and though I was still reluctant to leave the three of them to their own devices, I knew Luke was here for me. They'd probably be better off.

"Sasha's already caught the scent of monsters off to the west," I continued. "I don't think she's caught up with them yet, but she won't be able to go much further and still contact me, so I'm going to head out after her."

"Whoa," Daniel scowled. "Is that such a good idea?"

"Probably not," I admitted. "But have you got any better ideas?"

Will let out a low whistle beside me, shuffling on his one good ankle. "Those guys almost wiped the three of us out without breaking a sweat, Acacia," he pointed out quietly. "I know you're good and everything, but what do you expect to be able to do?"

"I want to know why he's here," I replied impatiently. "We have no idea why he wants me, or even if I'm the one he's after."

"This is a bad idea," Daniel frowned. "But since I know I'm not going to talk you out of it . . ." He dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a golden drachma, flicking it in my direction. "If something goes wrong, call us immediately. Okay?"

I nodded stiffly. "Got it."

"Good luck," Jake grimaced at me as I turned and rushed down to the end of the street, following Sasha's very faint voice in an attempt to find her.

The pressure I'd been under recently seemed to fade a fraction when I was finally alone, heading further and further out of the city. There was no need to sieving through my thoughts and try to determine how much I could tell the others without causing any more trouble, no need to assess how my actions would be taken or, best of all, how much danger I was putting them in. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into, being over here. None of them knew I was being tested, and no one knew that my latest test was just a under-handed tactic so that Aphrodite could get under Apollo's skin.

Honestly though, I found it was hard even to worry about that. For the past few weeks, life had been utter chaos. There was no sense, no logic, and much more confusion than a girl of my intelligence could ever deal with. Now, I had a target and an objective, something I could focus on long enough to regain a small amount of control over my own life.

I'd been moving for about half an hour before I came to the end of the city suburbs, and one large field stood between me and the towering trees I knew Sasha had disappeared into. For a moment, I panicked that the field was far too open. If I got halfway across that and realised I was in trouble, there'd be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

Then I figured it didn't really matter one way or the other and started off at a run.

Luckily, I reached the treeline without incident, but I'd barely slowed to a steady walk when an urgent howl sliced the air. I went rigid, holding my breath awkwardly. It sounded like Sasha, but . . . different somehow.

Frowning, I flicked my locket open. _Sasha?_ I thought.

_Yes, my lady, I'm fine,_ her reply came immediately. _And there is no need for weapons, though I do not think you're going to like what is going to happen next._

_What?_ I asked in shock. _What does that mean?_

_These are not people you will see eye to eye with, my lady,_ she told me blandly, and I was sure I could hear a little bit of judgement in that sentence. Before I could think about asking her to explain properly, something shifted to my left and I had one of my swords in my hand before I could take breath.

Clamping my hand around it tightly, I stepped forward to see past the tree to my right and made out an arrow being drawn back in the same second. Heart leaping into my throat, I spun the sword in my hand expertly, knocking the arrow to the side and letting the sword come to rest on the attacker's shoulder, all in the space of time it took me to blink.

With another blink, I was surrounded by archers all aiming in my direction.

_I warned you not to use weapons, my lady,_ Sasha's wry voice came, and I could tell she'd dropped the monsters trail altogether, turning to race back to me as fast as she could.

I didn't answer, praying that none of the archers could hear my heart hammering furiously in my chest. The girl in front of me must have been at least a few years older than me, with long silky black hair that was braided over one shoulder and delicate, coppery skin. She wore worn jeans, combat boots and a silver parka jacket, like most of the other girls surrounding me, but unlike the others, a small silver circlet sat on top of her head. Her dark eyes reminded me oddly of a volcano, and the small amount of courage that had allowed me to keep the sword to her throat began to waver under her intense glare.

Then she spoke, and my resolve strengthened again. "Acacia Grace," she stated, like the name tasted badly. I didn't answer, but I could feel myself developing a very strong dislike for this girl, something that rarely happened to me. I liked to think of myself as an understanding, patient person. I lived with Percy Jackson, after all. But something about this girl made my lips purse tightly. Sasha obviously thought she was no real danger, and apparently agreed more with her outlook on life than mine, which was the only thing that made me reluctant to say anything to aggravate the situation.

"You can lower your sword now, Grace," the girl instructed sharply.

"I don't even know who you are," I pointed out in a measured tone. "As far as I can tell, you don't like me very much."

The girl hesitated, scanning my appearance critically. "I have no reason to dislike you," she replied. "Unless of course you refuse to lower your weapon." Taking a deep breath, I slowly pulled my sword back. The girl took a breath and waved a hand at the other girls. Reluctantly, they lowered their bows and straightened out a fraction. "I am Zoe Nightshade," the girl in charge said. "I am the Lieutenant in the goddess Artemis's Hunt."

My expression slacked in surprise. "Oh," was the only reply I could find.

Zoe lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? Something wrong, Grace?"

"I really hope not," I mumbled, too quietly for her to make out.

Her jaw locked irritably, her eyes narrowing a fraction. "I met your sister, Thalia, once," she told me sternly and I felt my fists clenching before I could help it. "We gave her the opportunity to join the Hunt, and she foolishly turned it down. She refused to leave that boy she was always with."

My chest constricted too tightly. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. "Luke Castellan."

Zoe hesitated at the tone in my voice. Admittedly, I wasn't sure I could have sounded much more venomous if I'd tried, and it sounded completely alien coming from my own mouth. Slowly, Zoe's eyebrows tightened again. "You do not like him?"

"You don't keep up with current events, do you?" I found myself snapping shortly. "Thalia is dead. Luke led an attack on camp last summer, and now he's up to something else, and no one has a clue how to find out what it is let alone how to stop it."

Her face straightened, completely emotionless. "I warned her," she told me simply.

"_I beg your pardon?" _ I found myself snarling, but before I could do more than think about taking my sword back out, Sasha barked loudly and bolted into the middle of the group, coming to a graceful halt by my feet.

Something in Zoe's expression faltered, and her eyes flicked reluctantly between me and the immortal wolf guarding me. One of the girls to my left cleared her throat pointedly. "I apologise, if I offended you," she said through her teeth and my jaw locked. "I was merely pointing out that-"

"My sister was an idiot for giving her life to save him," I finished sourly. "Yeah, I got that." Zoe's lips pursed.

"Zoe, we're losing the trail," another of the girls said in a clear voice.

"They've changed direction," the one beside her scowled. "They're on the move."

"Which way are they heading?"

"Back into the city centre," the first girl answered immediately. "We don't know why, but they're heading to the east side."

At my feet, Sasha stiffened just as a cold chill ran down my spine, like someone had dropped an ice cube across my skin. _My lady,_ Sasha started cautiously. _I'm afraid Mr Graham may have been right along . . . You should not have left._

Her words echoed in the back of my mind, and I had to gulp hard before I could talk. "East?" I blurted, unable to stop my panic showing as I locked my eyes on the girl that had spoken. She blinked at me, a little startled.

Zoe frowned carefully. "What lies to the east?" she asked.

I ignored her, shifting on my feet. "How far out are they?"

"Acacia Grace-" Zoe started irritably, but the other girl cleared her throat with a grimace.

"About five minutes," she told me in a quiet voice, avoiding Zoe's burning gaze.

Terror shot through me like a bolt of lightning, and before I could stop to think, my feet skidded back the way I came and I raced out of the woods. The Hunters didn't try and stop me, but I could hear Zoe hurriedly giving out instructions before following me.

Sasha bolted out ahead of me. _I can travel much faster than you, my lady. I'll do what I can to hold them off until you can get there._

It felt like my chest was being ripped apart. I _needed_ to get back before Luke, but Sasha had been a huge part of my life for almost a year now. She never wavered, she never left my side, and she was the only living thing I could be entirely myself around. I couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt. But she was already rushing away, and before I'd even managed to break out of the woods, she'd disappeared from sight.

"Grace!" Zoe's determined yell came from behind me as she ran after me. "You have no idea what you are running into you! Stupid girl!"

I ignored her. The last thing I needed on top of everything else was getting into a fight with Artemis's lieutenant. Artemis was one of the few gods who wasn't trying _too_ hard to get me killed, and I was more than a little positive she was doing everything she could to keep Apollo at bay.

It took far too long to get back into the city centre, and despite onlookers gawp at me like I was insane, I pushed harder and sped as fast as possible to return to the Cunningham's house. Cutting through a child's play park, I vaulted over fence after fence and skidded around corner after corner until finally, I could see monsters swarming in the middle of the street.

Taking a sharp breath, I staggered to a halt, quivering in panic. Pushing as much of it as I could to the back of my mind, I flicked my locket open and pulled my bow off my shoulders, loading an arrow in the same second. Lightning crackled along its surface before I'd even drawn it back, and overhead, the clouds darkened. Sensing something was wrong, the monsters hesitated and looked up, but it was too late. I pulled the arrow back and released in the space of a split second, and lightning crashed thunderously as it collided with the middle target.

The resulting explosion made even me stagger back a step, and behind me, Zoe yelped in surprise and dropped to the ground, shielding her head with her arms. Ahead of us, the monsters had all exploded in one large cloud of yellow dust, and the sight made fists clench around my bow.

"Acacia," Zoe started.

I shot her a cool look and hurried forward again, jamming the bow back over my shoulders and taking out a sword as I neared the house. The front door was hanging by its hinges, and the front windows had all been broken. The sight made me hesitate, overcome with a sudden aching in my chest. This couldn't be happening. Not again. I'd lost my mother like this once already, I couldn't lose another family.

The thought made a fierce determination burn suddenly in the pit of my stomach. Swinging the sword around expertly, I kicked the door open properly and barely managed to side-step in time to avoid a head on collision with a growling hellhound. It skidded in front of Zoe, who looked at it in disgust before shooting an arrow straight through its eyes. A second scrambled clumsily through the doorway, but I jabbed it through the chest with my sword before it could even regain its balance.

Shaking the yellow dust out of my hair, I strode into the house, ignoring the painful twinges at the sight of the living room furniture lay broken and scattered around the floor. I had just taken a step into the room, gripping my sword tight, when a shrill scream sounded upstairs followed quickly by a fierce snarl.

"Go," Zoe frowned at me. "I shall hold anymore off from here."

I didn't stick around to argue. Taking the stairs two at a time, I bolted around into Felicity's room and kicked at the door. This time, it wouldn't budge. Shouldering it with a yell of frustration, I had to collect myself quickly before I collapsed with helplessness. I _had_ to help them.

"SASHA!" I pretty much screamed through the door.

_My lady, it's no use!_ her panicked reply came. _There is something wrong, I cannot move!_

_Is everyone away from the door?_

_Apart from two hellhounds and an empousai._ It said a lot that for once, she didn't ask me what rash, stupid thing I was about to do this time.

Backing away from the door with gritted teeth, I pulled my bow back off my shoulders and loaded it. Drawing it back, I summoned as much lightning as I dared and aimed straight for the door handle.

This time, the explosion rattled the house and blew the door straight off its hinges, and a shrill shriek told me I found my target. I didn't wait for the dust to settle, leaping over the broken door and into the room.

"Kelsey!" Felicity cried, running straight into my legs and wrapping her small arms around them. Behind her, Mary gave a relieved sob, shaking all over. Matt was nowhere to be seen, and in the corner, Sasha's fur was stood on end and she was sniffing the air with small growls.

"Sasha," I breathed, lowering myself to my knees to hug Felicity tightly. "What's wrong?"

_My lady, there's a presence here I've never felt before,_ she told me slowly, her growls growing louder. _It's . . . strong, my lady. Too strong to fight. We must leave immediately._

I'd never seen Sasha back away from a fight before, but the tone of her voice disturbed me. Gulping hard, I nodded sharply and straightened back out, just as a yell came from downstairs. "ACACIA, RUN!" Zoe screamed, and I whipped around.

"Oh, I wouldn't try that," a drawing voice came, and my heart stopped. Luke Castellan grinned at me smugly. "Disappointed by the gods, yet again," he grimaced, sighing heavily. "I really thought you'd have learnt by now, Acacia."

My voice was stuck in my throat. I couldn't speak past the anger burning in my chest. But I didn't have to. Luke had already made my mind up for me. Without hesitating, he lifted his hand and waved to someone behind him, and two shapes moved into the room accompanied by a half-blood I'd never seen before. The shapes turned out to be monsters that looked half human, half bear. Staring at them in surprise, my mind couldn't even register what it was seeing properly.

"Agrius and Oreius," Luke said, answering my unspoken question. "Who will be happy to kill your mortal friend and little wolf here without hesitating if you don't do exactly as I say."

What little colour she still had drained from Mary's face, and Sasha leapt in front of her, snarling and shaking in anger. Behind me, Felicity whimpered and clutched the back of my jackets, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Luke's eyes dropped to her face, and he knelt down to her level. I tensed, eyes narrowing. "Don't worry, Felicity," he said softly. "Acacia told me _all_ about you. I'm not going to hurt you or your sister, I just need your help, okay?"

My stomach jerked and without thinking, I flicked my wrist and brought my sword straight to his throat. He went rigid, and the bear-people behind him growled, moving forward. "Wait!" he ordered, holding them back. "Acacia isn't going to kill me."

My anger flared. "Try me," I snarled at him.

He actually had the nerve to laugh at me. "You can't fight your way out of this one, Acacia," he pointed out arrogantly. "And the gods can't save you now. I'm sure Camp Half-Blood agrees they've played far too big a role in your life already."

Fear paralysed me for a moment, and my face fell. "What did you do?" I breathed in panic.

His eyes narrowed. "They deserved to know the truth," he muttered darkly. "Though frankly, I thought they had more loyalty for you than that."

He was turning camp against me . . . My heart thumped pathetically against my rib cage as he straightened back out. "You have a choice, Acacia. You and your sister come with me and you live. I won't lay a finger on your family here and the campers and the gods won't be able to reach either of you. Or, you can stay here, remain loyal to gods prepared to turn their backs on you to prevent a rebellion from their own children, and die. It's really as simple as that."

It felt like my world had just crashed around me. What scared me most was that Luke was right. However twisted he was, if Camp was turning against their parents for spending so much time with me, I was safer with him than I was anywhere else. And Felicity . . . the campers wouldn't really hurt her, would they? She was just a kid, after all.

Shaking all over, I gulped hard and drew back my sword slowly. _My lady!_ Sasha protested in amazement, but I ignored her.

Luke's lips curved into a smug smile. "Good choice."

"Don't push it," I growled through my teeth. "You even think about hurting Felicity or any of the others-"

"You have my word," he assured me.

My eyebrows tightened. "That includes camp."

He hesitated. "You're still protecting them? They would see the gods kill you for everything you've done for them."

"So you say, but you ever even think about attacking them again and I swear to Zeus I'll make your life as difficult as humanly possible. Understand?"

His lips twitched. "Perfectly. Shall we?" He stepped back and indicated to the door behind him and my chest clenched. I couldn't believe I was doing this, but in that second, I swore I'd find out what was really going on, whatever it took. Luke might have agreed not to hurt anyone for now, but that wouldn't last long. It couldn't.

I'd find a way out of this. I had to.


	8. Seven: Leverage

"Kelsey," Felicity murmured in fright, tugging my jackets and burying her face into the side of my neck. "Where are we going? Where's Mummy?"

I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "Shush, Felicity," I insisted quietly. "Everything's going to be fine." She didn't look like she believed me but she kept quiet and cuddled a little closer into my side.

We were at the harbour again, surrounded by various monsters and half-bloods that Luke had managed to talk around. Some of them I didn't recognise, so I figured he must have gotten to them before Chiron and the satyrs had. But some of them, I'd seen their faces before, just never heard their names. Felicity had long since got tired of walking, her short legs too short to keep up with everyone. So instead, I'd picked her up and held her close for the past hour, never once letting her out of my sight. I didn't know why Luke had allowed Mary to stay back at the house and not Felicity, but I hoped I'd never have to find out.

Overhead, a thunderstorm was rolling in. The temperature had dropped, and rain was beginning to splatter against the ground. "Someone's upset," Luke smirked back at me, and a flash of lightning flickered across the sky.

"I'm not going to help you," I scowled back, tightening my hold on Felicity when she whimpered at the sound of thunder above.

"It isn't your help I need right now, Acacia," he replied casually, and when his eyes drifted back to Felicity, still hiding behind my hair, my body froze in fear.

"No," I snapped. "You can't be serious, what-"

"That's not your concern," Luke interrupted calmly as we reached a large boat that, to my horror, looked like it was currently occupied by at least a hundred mortals. "After you," he insisted, smirking slightly.

The anger was bubbling too fiercely in the pit of my stomach as we boarded the boat. I had to remind myself that I had my arms wrapped around a little girl as lightning surged through all my veins. Keeping it held back took almost all of my concentration, but I couldn't complain. That only meant I couldn't get distracted by anything else that would annoy me more.

Luke and his half-bear bodyguards led the way through the corridors within the boat, down several sets of stairs until we came to a large room at the front of the boat. The bear-men immediately took up positions at either side of the door, scowling at Luke who opened it up and ushered Felicity and me inside without a single word.

"Hungry?" he questioned, waving a hand toward a long table to the right hand side. It was full of food and drink, and suddenly I felt starving. But I scowled at him, clutching Felicity tighter. The rest of the room wasn't very interesting. Two sofas sat facing each other in the middle of the room at either side of a coffee table. Behind it, in front of reasonably large windows, a large and long table had been covered by a huge black sheet. Luke took a deep breath and sat himself down on the right hand sofa. "Sit down," he instructed, pointing at the sofa opposite him.

For a moment, I pursed my lips pointedly. But Felicity squirmed uncomfortably and, reluctantly, I set her down on her feet and sat her down on the sofa opposite Luke, keeping her as close to my side as possible.

Luke actually sighed wryly. "Are you always this paranoid now, Acacia?" he asked.

My eyes narrowed. "You mean since you attacked my home and killed three demigods?" I snarled venomously, and Felicity shivered beside me. A lump formed in my throat.

His expression wavered. "Do you really consider that camp your home?" His voice was quiet and deadly, as though he was daring me to choose wrong. His lips twisted. "So, been given any more tests recently?"

My face fell. How did he find out about those? The vague recollection of the motel Apollo had left me in just over a week ago and the dream that had haunted my dream came back to me in that second and my hands began to shake.

"Yes," I replied honestly, shuddering at the thought of Aphrodite's visit, and Luke stared at me in surprise. "Killed anyone else recently?"

His expression darkened. "I don't want to hurt anyone," he almost growled through his teeth.

"And you're doing a remarkable job of protecting them," I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

"As are you," he shrugged back at me with a glower, and I went rigid on the spot.

"Meaning?" I snarled.

Luke took a deep breath and shifted slightly on the spot. "I mean you're always very concerned with camp's safety and the welfare of all the campers there. But do you honestly think you're helping them? Taking on so much responsibility?"

Something about the way he said it made me stiffen on the spot. "What did you do?" I glowered, and Luke lifted an eyebrow. "I swear to Zeus, if you've done anything-"

He snorted darkly, brushing something off the leg of his trousers. "Oh, I think I've irritated your father quite well recently."

I hesitated, staring at him with a horrible sense of impending doom. "What did you do?" I repeated through my teeth, and Felicity cuddled closer to my side.

For a second, Luke's determined expression wavered. "They'll fix it," he shrugged at me quietly, and my stomach sank. "In fact, I'm betting on it."

"Fix what?" My muscles tensed anxiously.

Luke set his expression impassively before he answered. "Thalia's tree."

The dream flashed through my memory again; the vision of myself curled into a ball and accusing Luke of killing my sister.

Anger wasn't enough this time. I suddenly felt numb and empty, too grief-stricken to form a coherent reply. Luke eyed my expression cautiously, waiting for the explosion that never came. Thalia . . . "You . . ." I choked, so softly even he flinched away from me. "You . . . Even you wouldn't . . ."

His fingertips twitched. "They'll fix it," he assured me again, and a swell of fury burned in my chest.

"You're killing her," I breathed, furious tears burning my eyes.

"No!" he snapped irritably.

"Yes, you are," I replied, almost in a trance. "You're killing her to destroy the borders. The girl that _died_ to save your life."

"I am not killing her!" he yelled, jumping to his feet.

I glared up at him, tears leaking down my cheeks. "Apollo was right," I choked, and Luke's eyes flashed. "Hermes was wrong to think you could be saved. No one can help you now."

For a moment, neither of us said or did anything. Luke stood in front of Felicity and me, shaking in anger, his fists clenched at his sides. Felicity was curled into the side of my stomach, her tears soaking my shirt and her face hidden beneath all of her hair. I could barely feel anything right now, my whole body a mixture of grief, anger and confusion.

I was losing my sister for a second time. Nothing else seemed to register.

Finally, Luke cleared his throat. "Obviously, you aren't going to change your opinions," he finally conceded darkly. "That is why we have Felicity with us."

The moment the words were out of his mouth, every muscle in my body tensed and I was snapped back out of my trance with a vengeance. Beside me, Felicity's eyes widened fearfully as my heart raced. The thought that Felicity was being used as leverage suddenly made me freezing cold from the inside out. "If you even think about hurting her," I muttered through my teeth, anger starting to over-ride anything else.

Luke scoffed sourly. "What kind of person do you take me for?"

My fists clenched. "You've turned the whole camp against me, kidnapped a four year old girl from her mother, and sentenced the girl who sacrificed everything for you to a _second_ death," I snarled through my teeth. "And _now_ you're suddenly a fan of _morality?"_

His jaw locked, but he continued like he hadn't heard me. "As you rightly pointed out, Felicity is a four year old little girl. I wouldn't make her suffer for your mistakes, Acacia. All I'm doing is giving her the opportunity to put it right."

For a second, all I could do was blink, completely confused, but before I could even think about trying to figure it out, the doors opened again and the two bear-men were back. I started, but the first reached forward and dragged me away from Felicity. Immediately, the lightning rushing through my veins crackled and he yelled in pain, letting me go without a thought. Felicity screamed, pushing herself back and Luke leapt forward, grabbing the little girl around the waist and pulling her away.

"No!" I protested, but the second guard caught me before I managed to get far.

"Stop!" Luke ordered, shouting to be heard over Felicity's sobs. Tears were streaming down her face as she strained uselessly to get to me, and I felt myself stop straining against my captor. He growled something under his breath, yanking me a few steps back as his brother collected himself off the floor. Outside, the water smacked against the boat's sides furiously and thunder rumbled overhead. Suddenly sure the gods were once again watching me, my face set and my stomach churned nervously.

"Let her go," I scowled, breathing hard and heart hammering.

Luke frowned. "I can't do that, Acacia. You've given me no other choice."

"She's four!" I nearly screamed, and the two bear-men had difficulty holding me back again. "What would you need a four year old girl for?"

He stared at me, like he didn't believe what he was hearing, and a stunned scoff slipped past his lips. "They didn't tell you?" he breathed, and my expression wavered. Watching me, Luke laughed loudly. "And you're _still_ going along with it all? Acacia, will you ever learn?" Collecting himself gradually, he placed Felicity on her feet again and turned her to face him. My chest clenched tightly and I squirmed in the guards hold.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Luke insisted softly, forcing her to look at him. I took a breath to argue, but the fear in Felicity's eyes made me stop. Was I really going to panic her more? She was shaking all over, her eyes shining and her bottom lip quivering. "Do you know who I am, Felicity?"

Silently, the little girl shook her head. Luke shot me a look. "Still trying to protect her? How's it turning out, huh?"

My teeth ground together. "She's nothing to do with you," I spat. "Let her go!"

He ignored me, but Felicity sobbed again and twisted to move toward me. Immediately, Luke's grip tightened and she squealed in fear. My heart leapt into my throat, horror clawing at my insides as I watched him drag her back in the knowledge that anything I did or said now was either going to help him or terrify her. "Hey, hey, it's alright," he shushed softly. "So long as you do exactly as I say, no one's going to be hurt. Understand?"

Felicity stared back at him, wide-eyed. "I don't want to," she murmured, shaking her head and trying to pull away. He held on, and I shifted in restraint.

"You have to," he insisted, and his patience was obviously wearing thin. "Acacia's too scared to do it, so now there's only you left. You don't want your sister to be scared, do you?"

"You little-" My snarl was cut off when one of the bear-men dragged me back and clamped a far-too-hairy hand over my mouth. I squirmed, glaring as much as I could at Luke, but he wasn't paying attention.

"It's nothing scary," he told Felicity, who kept looking at me in confusion. "But see, you're a very special little girl. Did your Mommy tell you that?" She just blinked and I felt my stomach churning anxiously again. "Do you know what a demigod is, Felicity?"

Slowly, the little girl lifted a finger and pointed at me. I groaned loudly, shifting on the spot as Luke grinned. "Exactly. And you know, you're just as special as Acacia is. Have you ever heard of the god of the sea, Poseidon?"

I went rigid on the spot. _No way._ Felicity couldn't be . . . There was no way . . .

Outside, lightning crashed and the water got so aggressive, the boat shifted ominously on the surface. I barely noticed, my mind whirling. Mary was a single mother . . . She'd never mentioned Felicity's father before now, but never would I have suspected her to be a demigod, let alone another child of the Big Three. I thought about the trouble Percy and I had been in over the past year, and the terrible fate of Thalia. Then I thought about my baby brother, Jason, someone I rarely let myself think about.

But looking at Felicity, so young and vulnerable, the familiar swell of protectiveness made me choke, my eyes burning in my anger. I couldn't lose her like I had Jason. I wouldn't.

Felicity blinked at me. "All you have to do is do exactly what I tell you," Luke told her, and I could see her fear taking over.

I couldn't let this happen. The consequences didn't seem to matter anymore. I couldn't let him use her against us. Glowering, my gut tugged and I felt the lightning flash through me again. The bear-men roared in agony, long enough for me to struggle my mouth free from their hold. "No, don't do it," I rushed, squirming when the bear-men tightened their hold around my wrists.

Luke glared. "Get her under control!" he snapped furiously, but I forced another surge of lightning through my arms and the men growled again.

"Felicity, look at me!" I insisted as the little girl started to cry silently, quivering in fright. Her wide eyes found mine. "Whatever he says, whatever he does, you _can't_ do it!"

"Keep her quiet!" Luke exploded, and suddenly a large fist collided heavily with my stomach. I choked, breathless, as my knees gave way beneath me and Felicity screamed. Another flash of lightning threatened to be released, but another hand smashed into the right side of my face, sending my neck cracking to the left. Vaguely, I was aware of blood trickling down my face through the radiating agony rushing down my spine.

"Let me make this very clear," Luke said, obviously fuming, patience forgotten. "If you don't do as I say, we'll hurt Acacia."

Another wave of anger rushed through me as Felicity sobbed loudly, and lightning flashed across my skin, more aggressively than last time. The bear-men snarled, releasing me and staggering backward, leaving me weak and trying to collect myself off the floor.

Luke shifted, staring down at me with an unreadable expression. "Oreius, take Acacia to her room," he said quietly.

"What about the other one?" Oreius growled, taking a cautious step forward.

Luke's eyebrows tightened. "Felicity will stay with me. Get Grace out of here. _Don't_ screw up a second time."

Oreius obviously wasn't happy with taking orders from Luke, but he did as he was told and grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet. I shot Felicity a determined look, winking once. She blinked back at me, her bottom lip shaking. As she disappeared from view, my stomach sank through the ground.

I _had _to find a way out of here. I didn't know what Luke was planning to do or why he needed a four year old daughter of Poseidon, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. And Felicity was too young to understand what helping him would mean. All she knew is that she saw me get hurt if she said no. This was down to me. I left her and Mary alone after Matt had told me it was a bad idea, just because I was too scared to let them get hurt like my Mum had, and look how that had turned out.

Then there was camp. Luke had let spill to the half-bloods that the gods were treating me differently, and now they'd all been turned against me. But Thalia's tree was dying. Without that, camp would soon be defenceless, and my sister would be subjected to the Underworld for the rest of eternity.

There had to be a way out, and I wasn't going to stop until I'd found it.


	9. Eight: A Dream Come True

I stared at the ceiling above me, wondering vaguely why I always ended up like this. Even on my better days, I always ended up talking myself into a depression, lay flat out on my bed glaring at the ceiling.

Now though, my skin was marred with bruises and cuts from repeated beatings in front of a surprisingly stubborn Felicity. Despite everything, I couldn't help but feel a swell of pride. No matter how hard things got, she never questioned my judgement. She never caved to Luke's wishes, even when she was stood on the other side of the room crying her little heart out and squealing loud enough that the waves started rocking the ship irritably.

But I could deal with all the other injuries. It was the long, thin cut that ran around the base of my neck that made tears spring into my eyes, the only evidence left that Oreius had forcibly snatched my locket - _Apollo's_ locket - from around my neck.

I had to clamp my hands together to stop me running a finger over the wound. Honestly, I'd expected them to take it. Everyone knew it was a magic item. But I'd never predicted the empty, numb feeling it would leave. It hadn't been like this over the past year. I tried to convince myself that I didn't know what the difference was, but it was like trying to forget Apollo existed in the first place. I'd learnt a lot about him, and myself, in the time since he'd shown up at my school and kidnapped me out of New York. Maybe I shouldn't feel like this, maybe I shouldn't feel anything toward him at all, but I did. There was no denying it anymore. And Luke had taken my one connection to him away, the only connection no one complained about.

My eyes began watering again at the thought, and I gulped hard, pushing myself upright and rubbing my throat before I could stop it again. The moment my fingers made contact with the cut, however, an image flashed through my mind. It showed what looked like a messy stables. There were no windows, and the animals it housed were actually pegasi, one of which seemed very familiar . . .

The sound of the door banging open brought me back to reality with a snap, and my hand dropped from my neck as the two bear men, Oreius and Agrius, stomped into my room with an incoherent grunt. I swallowed, not bothering to argue as they snatched up an arm each and dragged me out of the room.

I stumbled along between them. We'd been aboard the ship for just over a week now, and this routine had gotten old a long time ago. I knew what to expect now. I'd be chucked into a room with Felicity and Luke, where he'd allow the little girl to speak with me for ten minutes, before dragging me away and knocking the life out of me bit by bit. Any resistance I'd once had had rapidly disappeared. Not only did rebelling upset Felicity _and_ put her in harm's way, but there were still mortals aboard. If I got too violent, I could easily sink the ship and kill all of them. No matter how bad things got, I couldn't ever do that.

And Luke knew it. My hands were tied. There was nothing I could do.

Finally, Oreius and his brother stopped outside Luke's door and knocked once, so hard the whole wall shook. Luke shouted for them to enter, and Agrius almost took the door off its hinges by barging through with his shoulder.

Luke was stood behind the left sofa, scowling at the three of us. "Let her go," he ordered, and the two of them released me. I cast an uncertain glance around the room. Felicity was nowhere in sight. "You can wait outside," he told the bear-men, and they grunted once, squeezing back through the doorway and slamming the door shut behind them.

It was a moment or two before either of us said a word, and it that time, all Luke did was frowning at me in frustration. I found myself rubbing one of my arms subconsciously. "Where's Felicity?" Even to me, my voice sounded weak and broken.

He straightened out slightly. "She's being cared for," he told me, and my eyes narrowed. "She won't be harmed while she's here, Acacia. I've already said as much."

I scoffed. "You've said a lot of things. None of them were true."

His expression shifted for a moment, and he pushed himself away from the sofa, straightening out and running a hand through his perfectly gelled hair. "Do you remember when we first met? I told you that you were a lot like Thalia in many ways."

The sound of my sister's name made me wince through my teeth, and my fists clenched at my sides. "Don't talk about Thalia," I muttered darkly. "You have no right to say anything about her."

Luke eyed my scowl. "Last summer, I thought I was wrong," he told me, ignoring my last comment. My muscles clenched. "Thalia and I spent so long talking about our fathers, and how little they cared. She didn't see the gods the way you did. She wasn't so easily convinced of their innocence. But you . . . you're so determined that they're worth fighting for! I couldn't see it. _Thalia_ couldn't see it."

"I don't believe that," I snapped.

He ignored me. "But now, I realise the two of you are more alike than I first thought," he continued, his eyes boring into mine. Suddenly, my stomach sank and I immediately got uncomfortable. "You're every bit as stubborn as she was. You're strong, determined, protective, loy-"

"Stop!" I rushed, taking a step away from him with a flinch. Luke's face straightened. "I am _not_ Thalia."

"No, you aren't," he agreed quietly. "You're much more than that."

My chest constricted, so sharply I couldn't help gasping for a lungful of air.

Luke's eyes grew more intense, and he took a step closer. Immediately, I shifted backward again, my stomach churning anxiously. "Why do you think the gods picked you? Why did Athena prompt Zeus to save you from Hades? Why do they constantly turned a blind eye to the amount of time you spend with that Sun God? Why have they spent so much time this summer keeping you away from camp?"

"Probably because they thought I might take my sister dying for a second time quite badly," I managed to spit back.

He flinched, but stood his ground. "Exactly my point. They're protecting you, like a king on a chessboard. Why? What is it about you that makes you so essential?"

"I think it's fair to say I'm not a lucky charm," I glowered, unable to stop myself shaking in fear at the path this conversation was taking. Something was wrong. _Seriously_ wrong. I didn't understand why he was talking like this.

"You're everything they're looking for," he insisted. "The rare half-blood hero not in it for the glory or power. You're there for family, to protect them. That's all that matters to you and that's why you're right. You're not a lucky charm. You're a human shield."

A fresh wave of anger rolled over me, and I glared at him as dangerously as I could. What worried me was that there were no words that sprung to mind to argue back. Luke watched me for a second, then took a step closer. I glared without moving.

He scoffed slightly, shaking his head. "You can't win, Acacia. The gods aren't going to be here forever, and soon, they'll be nothing left of them. It's inevitable. Do you even know what you're up against?"

I glowered, vaguely remembering the end of the last year; the attack on camp, the dreams, the chasm in the Underworld . . . "Gods, Luke, you can't be that stupid," I murmured, shaking my head at him with wide eyes.

"It isn't stupidity, it's foresight," he scowled. "You can't stand there and tell me that you've never dreamed of a world without the gods."

My breath caught in my throat. The thought momentarily crossed my mind; a world without the gods. No tests, no monsters, no near-death experiences . . . no Camp, no father, no Apollo.

"I wanted a few weeks of peace and quiet," I admitted in a mutter. Luke's lips twitched. "I wanted to be able to go out and be normal, without worrying about tests, or monsters, or rogue demigods who want to destroy the world." His expression darkened. "But no. I've never, _ever_ wished for a world without the gods. And I certainly haven't wished for a world ruled by Titans."

Luke hesitated, debating something with a slight scowl. Flexing his fingers slightly, he moved forward again. This time, I forced myself to move back, but he kept going, until my back hit the wall and he was stood right in front of me. My chest constricted tightly again.

"Every move you make, you make to protect your family," he mumbled. "You'd do anything for them, right?"

I didn't say anything, but his lips twitched.

"Then consider this; has it ever occurred to you that you, and the people you care about most like Felicity Cunningham, are safer with me than with the gods? That I could protect you better than an impulsive Sun God?"

I stared at him, stunned into speechlessness, but before I could make a sound, the door burst open and an empousa I thought I should recognise skidded to a halt. She glanced between Luke and me, her eyes widening and for some reason, my cheeks flushed and my stomach jolted.

Luke, on the other hand, took a calm step back with a frown. "What is it?"

"We have a small problem," she said, still eyeing me cautiously. "You should take a look."

His jaw locked tightly and he snapped his fingers impatiently. "Oreius! Take Acacia back to her room."

In the space of five minutes, I was being thrown back into my room with the door being slammed shut behind me. A ragged breath I didn't realise I was holding back slipped my lips, and I sank on the edge of the bed. So Luke had changed his tactics. He'd reverted back to the same old routine, the same old speech that never worked. So what was it about this one that unsettled me?

I didn't really need to ask that question. It was the comparison to Thalia that got me. As twisted as he was, it was obvious that he'd cared a lot about her before she'd died. The thought made my fists clenched angrily. It hadn't stopped him attacking her tree. And now what? Keeping me here was some twisted way to make it even? Or even worse, an insane attempt to replace her?

I shuddered away from the thought. It didn't matter why I was here. I had to get out. Thalia was dying, and Luke was insane. His plan to get rid of the gods was ridiculous. Whatever the consequences for me, I had to warn Chiron and the campers. But how was I supposed to get out of here? Biting my lip, I pushed myself back and drew my legs up beneath my chin, scowling at the door in deep thought.

It was a few hours before anyone interrupted me again, and by this point, I was starting to get a headache. I was curled up at the end of the bed, running a finger absent-mindedly over my many wounds and through my hair in frustration. Then suddenly, the door to the room opened, and Luke stepped inside. His eyes were narrowed irritably, and he was scanning over the room in disgust. When his eyes fell on me, he took in my stance and wounds like it was the first time he was seeing them.

"You don't look well, Acacia," he told me quietly. I glowered at him, keeping my mouth shut. I'd managed to work myself up over the past few hours, determined to find a way to stop him. He lifted an eyebrow at me. "You could say thank you," he muttered.

I almost laughed at him darkly. "I have nothing to thank you for," I snapped back.

"I saved your life," he scowled, and I knew he truly believed it. He thought he was saving me from the gods and the campers by bringing me on board this ship.

My jaw hung in shock. Was he _serious?_ "It's your fault it's in danger in the first place!" I as good as shrieked at him. If he hadn't told camp about my tests, if he hadn't attacked Thalia's tree, I'd be at camp already by now.

"No, it's their fault!" Luke yelled back, and my entire body tensed in fury. Shaking his head at me in exasperation, he let out a short, harsh laugh. "You're still defending them? After everything they have done to you?"

I hesitated, my fists clenched and my lips pursed. _Here we go again . . ._ Another rant about how the gods have messed up my life. By this point, I was starting to think I was missing something. I knew my life had been hard, but was there really any malice in it? Did the gods want to see me hurt, or was it just my bad luck to be caught out?

Luke seemed to realise I was questioning myself. He shifted forward, crouching down in front of me. I shuffled as far away from him as I could, frowning down at him. "Look at what they've done to you, Acacia," he said, all anger faded as he tried to appeal to my better side. "This isn't something a family that cares does to each other. What have you done to deserve this? You spent your entire childhood protecting your mother from Hades' wrath, and the gods let you spend a year at the mercy of the same god, a god driven by revenge."

The mention of the Underworld made me flinch, but I didn't say a word, so he continued, obviously sure he was finally making progress. "Then they pick you to complete twelve impossible tests, while allowing Hera to try and kill you and sending you back to the Underworld. And now what? They send you to Scotland and leave you alone. All apart from that ridiculous Sun God, of course. He just can't leave you be, can he? Look how that helped you. Now more of the Olympians want you dead, merely because you're an inconvenience. You're worth more than this, Acacia."

I spent a long time staring at my feet, blinking tears out of my eyes. Honestly, I don't know where they came from. The idea of the Olympians wanting me dead made my chest squirm awkwardly, and the thought that it was all because the campers had turned against me didn't help matters any. Pursing his lips, Luke straightened out and reached forward.

A shot of panic rushed through me and in the same second, I slapped his hand away furiously. "So was Thalia," I snarled through my teeth. "And you killed her. _Again."_

Luke's face contorted irritably. "She is not dead," he growled at me. "I've told you, there's a way to fix it. Annabeth will know what to do. She won't let Thalia die again."

My jaw locked. "That's probably because Annabeth knows how to be a decent human being," I spat back and his fists clenched.

"Think what you like," he forced through his teeth, scowling across the room at me as he shifted back toward the door. "But you'd better make peace with it, either way. You're safer here than anywhere else so here is exactly where you're staying."

I forced my frown to remain on my face, but my chest was too heavy. What did it matter to Luke if I was safe? Without another word, he whipped around and slipped out of the door, making sure to close and lock it behind him.

Shaking all thoughts out of my head, I took a deep breath and frowned down at my feet. There was a way off this bloody boat. There had to be. Biting my lip, I lifted a hand subconsciously to the back of my neck, wincing as my fingers cautiously ran along the cut. But in the same second, an image flashed through my mind; the stables again, filled with the same pegasi.

The one in the corner caught, and held, my attention.

A gasp slipped my lips as I pulled my fingers back, my eyes widened than normal. In the time it took my heart to beat however, I put it straight again, panic rushing through my entire body. Right now, I could only think of one person who'd want me out of here alive.

And he wasn't so much of a person, as a god. There was no way I could let anyone know he was _still_ breaking the rules.

I drummed my fingertips against my thigh nervously. So there were pegasi on board. In the lower levels by the looks of it. The thing was, I couldn't leave without Felicity, who was almost constantly by Luke's side. On top of that, I had to find my locket. There was no chance I was leaving that with him. Besides, how was I supposed to run if I hadn't got a weapon to defend myself?

_But where is it?_ I almost groaned in frustration, but I forced myself to keep my expression neutral. I couldn't chance the gods picking up on anything, least of all Apollo. The last thing any of us needed was him getting even more involved.

_First things first, Acacia. Find Felicity._

I snorted. Get out of here, more like it. But how?

Something hammered loudly on the door, and I flinched in surprise. My heart beating furiously, I stared at it with an impending sense of doom. "Now or never, Acacia," I muttered to myself, trying to shake off the feeling I'd been telling myself that since the age of eight.

Biting down on my lip, I shifted off the edge of the bed in one movement, straightening out and reaching for the door handle. Outside, someone hammered on the door again. I winced, but didn't move, waiting until they tried the handle. The moment I felt the handle start to move, I closed my eyes tightly and focused as much of my energy on the metal beneath my hand as possible. Lightning crackled across my skin, and a small yelp on the other side of the door was quickly followed by a dull thud that rattled the door.

I grimaced, cautiously testing the handle. When it turned and gave way, I pulled it toward me carefully. The moment it was open wide enough, a figure slumped to the ground at my feet, and I blinked at the sight of a half-blood I didn't recognise, completely unconscious.

"Oh gods," I breathed, gulping hard. Panicking, I quickly glanced outside to make sure no one was looking, then dragged the half-blood into the room and propped him up against the side of the bed. I'd seen him before, but I didn't know his name. He had glossy black hair, a slight build that made his armour seem a little too big for him, and a black eye patch over his left eye. Wincing, I reached forward and checked his pulse. It was slow, but still there.

I let out a sigh of relief, patting him on the shoulder. "You'll be fine," I assured him quietly, taking the hunting knife from his belt and spinning it in my hands. Straightening out again, I pulled my jacket around me a little tighter and yanked the hood over my head, slipping out of the room and locking the door behind me.

I took a deep breath, glancing up and down the corridor. "Here we go again," I muttered darkly, shaking my head as I slipped the knife up my sleeve and started forward.


	10. Nine: Explosions

"Oh, this wasn't a good idea," I muttered anxiously to myself as I shifted down the corridors as inconspicuously as possible. Instinctively, I headed upwards first. The more mortals I could lose myself in, the better.

At least, that had been the plan. Only when I actually got up to the top levels, the amount of mortals here maybe me a little nauseous. Luke criticised the gods for using me, one demigod, as a human shield and yet the sheer number of mortals here outweighed him and his men at least three to one. The thought made my fists clench at my sides.

I moved through the dining room cautiously, grabbing an apple and a bottle of water as I passed. Trying my best not to notice the mortals laughing and joking around me, I made a beeline for the door to the pool on the top deck. Outside, I could see more people and families on what they thought was a relaxing holiday. None of them had a clue that beneath them was a demigod plotting the end of the world as we knew it.

The first thing that hit me outside was the sun. I almost sighed wryly as I glanced up to see bright beams of sun breaking through dull clouds. Thunder rumbled, but no one seemed to notice. I, on the other hand, flinched and mumbled a quick apologetic prayer to my father. "I'm gonna apologise in advance," I muttered under my breath with a grimace. "Because I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I just know I can't leave Felicity here. She's too young to know what's happening."

If anything, the thunder only rumbled louder.

Gulping hard, I tugged the jacket tighter around myself, angling my face to keep myself concealed as I scanned the deck. I could see some recognisable half-bloods in the background, and cautiously made my way around the railing to get a closer look. I didn't think any of them had been at Camp Half-Blood last summer. If they had, I hadn't gotten to know everyone as well as I'd thought. But in the midst of them all, I caught sight of Felicity, completely unharmed. I released a sigh of relief, watching her sit herself on the edge of the pool and splash her feet in the water dejectedly.

Pursing my lips, I moved closer, eyeing the other half-bloods carefully. They obviously didn't think Felicity was very important, because luckily, they weren't paying her any attention. So it was relatively easy for me to shift as close to the pool's edge as I dared and whistle softly across at her. The girl blinked, looking up and scanning the people around her. It took her a moment or two to notice me, and her seagreen eyes shone happily.

"K-"

"Shush!" I insisted quietly, lifting a finger to my lips with a misplaced smile, and the girl clamped her lips together pointedly, beaming at me. Even now, just seeing her so happy made all of it worthwhile. I felt myself relax. However difficult this was, I could do it. To keep her safe, I'd do anything. "Felicity, I need you to listen carefully, okay?"

She nodded furiously. "Okay!" she whispered back.

My lips twitched. "Where's Luke?"

Felicity shuddered, but straightened out and glancing back at the half-bloods with her. They still weren't paying attention, so the little girl shuffled a little closer. I blinked, smiling hesitantly at her. "There's a room at the other end of the boat," she whispered, and I could hear the fear in her voice. "There's a scary box in it. It's big, and golden, and cold, and it has strange pictures on the side of it. Luke's always in there."

I scanned her expression. "Do you know what's in the box?"

"No," she gulped, shaking her head at me again. "Luke said it was dangerous, that it's going to beat the gods. What are gods?"

I stared, for a moment wondering how I never realised she had no idea about her own father. "I'll explain soon," I promised her softly with a small grimace. "I promise. But right now, we have to get off the boat, but I'm going to need your help, okay?"

Her eyes lit up again. "Okay," she nodded in agreement.

I smiled at her. "Do you remember the locket I had?" I asked her, tapping the cut around my throat.

"Luke doesn't like it," she told me immediately. "He keeps it in the room with the scary box."

My shoulders sagged. "Of course he does," I muttered darkly. "Okay, do you think you can distract him for a while?"

Felicity suddenly giggled, and I stared in astonishment. "Yes," she beamed. "I'll go swimming."

I raised my eyebrows, but nodded slightly and stretched back out again. "Just give me five minutes to get to the room, and _be careful_. You won't get hurt?"

She shook her head. "No one else likes it when I go in the water, but Luke thinks it's funny." I frowned slightly to myself, and a voice in the back of my mind said,_ Only because he knows who she is._

"Be careful," I repeated, glancing back at the half-bloods behind her with a scowl. They still weren't paying her any attention, but I didn't like the idea of leaving her alone. Biting down on my lip and shaking myself, I pushed myself back up to my feet and reluctantly turned to go back the way I came.

Leaving Felicity alone on this ship felt like a knife through my stomach, but she'd been alone this long and come out unscathed. Automatically, I muttered a quick prayer to Poseidon, something I'd been doing a lot since I started living with Percy. It wasn't much, just an apology for leaving his daughter with Luke's minions and a promise I was going to get her out of here. If he heard, he didn't let on.

I felt my hand clench around the hilt of my stolen hunting knife as I moved back through the ship. The only thing that made me feel better was getting away from the mortals, separating them from whatever trouble I was about to cause this time. But at the same time, that thought made me shake. Something about all this was sitting wrong. Luke was a lot of things, but he'd never worried me this much before. It was just . . . something in the atmosphere around me, something . . . something a lot worse than Luke Castellan.

I found the room Felicity had described without much hassle. Bypassing demigods and monsters was remarkably easy. Apparently, the monsters didn't think the scent of a half-blood was anything strange, and the demigods were too busy training and keep their distance from the monsters to notice one more hooded girl.

The room was a different story. It was at the far end of the ship, and it was guarded by the familiar sight of the two bear-men, Agrius and Oreius. My eyes rolled and I cursed to myself, subconsciously rubbing my neck again. Did them standing there mean Luke was inside? Or was he somewhere else and had just left them there to make sure no one went in?

"Either way, you can't just stand here," I grumbled to myself. The problem was, breaking in past two huge bear-men, while incredibly difficult, would be useless if I came face to face with Luke on the other side. However angry I was, it wouldn't be enough to beat him with only a hunting knife.

_Distraction it is then,_ I thought grimly, glancing back over my shoulder and leaning against the wall heavily. _I really hope Felicity knows what she's doing._ I shook the thought from my head with a heavy sigh. As far as I knew, I was still supposed to be impressing the Olympian gods, and leaving my fate in the hands of a four year old daughter of Poseidon probably didn't sound like a good idea to Athena.

For a moment, I stood perfectly still, watching the monsters and demigods training in the open plan lobby opposite the two bear-men. They always trained separately, which wasn't surprising I supposed. My eyes followed their movements, as the demigods twisted and jabbed at dummies wearing CAMP HALF-BLOOD shirts, and the monsters jeered at some of the younger kids, some barely any older than Felicity. My chest tightened in anger, but before I could do more than lock my jaw and straighten out, the ship gave a violent jolt and I staggered forward, catching myself in surprise.

"Felicity," I muttered to myself with wide eyes. Everyone else had frozen, scanning the area around them like they were expecting something to jump out at them.

The ship jerked again, and a few shocked screams sounded over-head. I flinched forward, but the door behind me slammed open and a furious Luke strode out into the room, with Agrius and Oreius flanking him. I shrank back, pulling my hood a little further over my face.

"Where is she?" Luke snarled.

"Who?" one of the braver demigods stammered, shuffling by the CAMP HALF BLOOD dummies.

"Felicity Cunningham," he snapped back. "Poseidon's brat."

I glowered. _Brat? Gods, I'm going to kill that guy one of these days._

Thunder rumbled overhead, and I shook the thoughts out of my mind as Luke halted on the spot, straining to hear the crashing of the waves and a rumbles of thunder. His eyes narrowed, scanning the room, and I shrank a little closer to the monster with a wince. "Where's Nakamura?" he demanded through his teeth.

"Haven't seen him," the demigod gulped. "Why?"

Luke gave a frustrated yell, snatching up one of the swords and striding past them in fury. "Because he was _supposed_ to be checking on Acacia, _that's why!"_

I gulped hard, watching him shove his way through the crowd of demigods and monsters with a pang of pity. Whoever that Nakamura kid was, Luke wasn't going to let him off easily for letting me escape. My stomach twisted, but I shook myself. _Felicity. You've got to get Felicity out._

Making sure everyone was still watching Luke, I took a few steps backward, keeping close to the walls as I crept back toward the door. Achingly slowly, I managed to close the distance between me and it, until my hand was wrapping around the freezing handle. It gave way immediately, and I shouldered it open, slipped inside and clipped it shut behind me as quickly as possible.

Leaning against the door, I yanked the hood off my head and let out a shaky breath. I'd been in this room countless times before, with its sofas and the table of food and the huge windows looking out at a violent ocean churning. But now I could see the box Felicity had been talking about.

It stood in front of the windows, glinting dangerously in the fading light. Just like Felicity said, it was bright gold, and engraved with different images that made me hesitant to take a closer look. But, despite the warning in the back of my mind, something seemed to pull me nearer, and I felt my eyebrows tightening curiously as my feet took slow, careful steps forward.

_Stop,_ a voice in the back of my mind ordered, and I was only vaguely aware that it wasn't my own.

My feet kept moving until I was stood right in front of the box. Eerily familiar cold shivers were running across my skin, and I jerked back a fraction with a flinch. But apparently, it wasn't enough to stop my shaky fingers reaching forward to touch the side of the box.

_Stop!_ the voice demanded more urgently. _Ace, get away from there!_

Ignoring it, I crouched down to see the images better, my fingertips hovering an inch away. I recognised the pictures immediately; it was Kronos, eating his own children. Horror twisted my stomach and I choked, flinching and moving back. It took a surprising amount of effort to stumble backward, but I ground my teeth together, my wide, startled eyes fixed on the box.

_It's not a box, Ace,_ an irritable voice snarled. _It's a sarcophagus, get away from it!_

Something shifted in the air before I could do more than take a shaky breath, and a harsh wind whipped around me. It's familiar tug pulled me a fraction closer, and I staggered, losing my balance and collapsing to my knees in front of the sarcophagus. The wind rushed through my hair, pulling it in front of my face and obstructing my view, and automatically, my mind rushed ahead of me. I was Zeus's daughter. Controlling wind should me easy for me, right? I'd done it before after all, and whatever was going here obviously wasn't good. So instinctively, my gut tugged as I twisted the wind to push me away.

Panic was building, but I just about managed to collect my thoughts long enough to realise I'd been here before. The same thing had happened down in the Underworld, at the edge of that chasm.

Fear rushed through me, and it was a moment or two before I realised it wasn't mine. _That wasn't just a chasm, that was Tartarus! _the voice insisted. _Ace, that's Kronos, run!_

Something shifted in my chest. "A-Apollo?" I muttered to myself.

_Oh for - Ace for once in your life, listen to me! You need to get out of there! Now!_

I choked, tearing my eyes off the sarcophagus and scanning the room hurriedly, focusing as much of my attention as I could afford on the wind, pushing myself further and further from Kronos. The idea that it was him, here in this room, however weak he was, terrified me so much, my hands quivered at my sides. But it didn't take long for my eyes to find what they were looking for; on the side of one of the sofas was a golden chain, shining brighter than anything else in the room.

Scrambling to my feet, I winced as my gut tugged harder still to allow me to race away from the sarcophagus, snatching Apollo's locket up as I passed. The metal felt warm and comfortable in my hand, and my mind seemed to clear slightly. Wincing as my gut tugged sharply, I staggered across the room, wrapping the locket around my neck and shouldering the door open hurriedly.

"THERE!"

I choked with wide eyes as an empousa shrieked, pointing in my direction, and immediately four hellhounds bounded toward me. Yelping, my concentration slipped and the wind yanked me back. A shot of panic rushed through me as I lost my footing, but by some miracle, I managed to shift to the right and allow the wind to pull the hellhounds past me.

Unfortunately, the empousa had managed to steady herself in the doorway. Like every other empousa I'd seen, her skin was white as a sheet of paper and her eyes were blood red, with one donkey's leg and one bronze human leg. Her wicked grin showed off her fangs, and suddenly I realised I had seen this empousa before.

"Remember me?" she grinned as the hellhound gathered themselves off the floor with a growl. "I'm the one who almost killed you last summer."

I managed a weak snort. "And as I remember, I _actually_ killed you last summer."

Her expression shifted. "Yet here I am."

"Here you are," I mumbled. I couldn't believe my luck. Of all the monsters to find me here . . . all I needed now was a visit from Tisiphone.

She cackled and straightened out, still showing off her fangs. Behind me, the hellhounds growled and shifted forward. I tensed on the spot, my mind whirling. How was I supposed to get out of this one? Even if I managed to get past the monsters here, there were others outside, and I still had to get to the lower levels and _then_ back to the top.

I needed time. I needed something to stall them.

The empousa cackled as a plan began to form in my mind. It was a bad one. Horrifically bad, but it was the only one I'd got. I was one demigod against a boat full of monsters, rogue half-bloods and apparently, a restless, half-dead Titan. Now wasn't exactly the time for doubts and hesitation.

"You're not getting out of it this time, Grace," the empousa grinned wickedly, and her hands slipped from the doorway as she lunged forward. My heart clenched as the hellhounds rushed to do the same, all snarling and barking furiously. Sending a rather desperate prayer to my father, I leapt to the side and ducked under the empousa's reach, slashing out at the nearest hellhound with the hunting knife I'd taken. It exploded in a cloud of yellow dust, and I scrambled for the door, flicking the locket open as I moved. As always, the quiver and bow wrapped tightly around my torso.

My feet skidded to a halt as my eyes fell on the rest of the monsters and demigods outside, all waiting for me to make my next move with smug, arrogant looks on their faces. They knew I was trapped. "There's nowhere to run, half-blood," the empousa mocked, and I turned to glance over my shoulder.

"No, there isn't," I sighed heavily. "Not just yet."

The empousa cackled. "Meaning?"

I shrugged. "Not really ironed out all the details," I admitted. "But here goes nothing, huh?" Without waiting for an answer, I yanked the bow off my shoulders and loaded an arrow in one swift move. The empousa shrieked furiously, the hellhounds right behind her, but the tip of the arrow crackled with lightning, and suddenly the wind picked up around me. The air grew uncomfortably cold, even for me, and I knew it was Kronos.

Straining to keep myself steady on my feet, I drew the arrow back and released with narrowed eyes. It flew straight over the empousa's left shoulder, and she staggered, blinking in surprise as it passed her. For a moment, she grinned at me smugly, but I tensed on the spot, taking a sharp breath and bracing for the impact.

The arrow sparked dangerously with lightning, colliding into the golden sarcophagus.


	11. Ten: Escape

The resulting explosion was far stronger than I had predicted. Lightning crashed all around us, flashing so brightly it seemed to sear my eyes. But that was nothing compared to the invisible wave of force that burst from the sarcophagus with a thunderous boom, killing all the hellhounds and the empousa in a split second. I'd barely registered the sight when the force slammed into my chest, sending me flying off my feet and through the door back into the training area outside. The air was ripped from my lungs, and my mind went blank, my back crashing into the furthest wall brutally.

For a moment, there was silence. The only thing I could hear was a shrill ringing in my ear, black spots dancing in front of my eyes. Every muscle in my body burned feebly, and my heart thudded painfully.

Gently, I pushed myself over onto my back, gasping as pain radiated through my bones. Blinking a few times to adjust my vision, I scanned the room as best as I could. Demigods were on the floor, wincing and groaning, but every monster in the room had disintegrated into yellow dust. Mentally running through the parts of my body burning in agony though, I wasn't sure it had been worth it.

Groaning, I slowly pushed myself upright, grinding my teeth together to stop myself yelling out. Apollo's voice had disappeared altogether, and I wasn't sure whether that was his choice or my fault. My mind didn't seem to want to work the way it should be doing, and even my own thoughts were scrambled. The only thing I knew for sure was that the second Luke realised what I'd done, Felicity was in danger. And by the sound of that explosion, he probably already knew.

Scrunching my eyes against the pain, I pushed myself onto my knees and climbed unsteadily to my feet, hating the way my head swam nauseatingly. Blinking a few times, I staggered forward, stepping over the pained demigods and heading back down the corridor. Just ahead of me, I could hear the conscious half-bloods hurrying to find the source of the destruction, and my chest tightened. There was no way I was in any fit state to fight anyone off just now. That realisation sent an unwelcome shiver of fear down my spine, but I yanked my hood over my head and kept moving, picking the darkest, quietest corridors possible and searching for the stairs to the lower levels.

It took longer than I'd have liked to find them, and by that point, all of my muscles were begging me to give in. My legs shook uncontrollably as I walked, but I forced myself on, taking the stairs one at a time. As I neared the bottom, I took up my bow and loaded another arrow, a little clumsily this time as my hands quivered. "Come on, Acacia," I scolded myself with a tight frown, my voice searing the inside of my throat. "Get it together."

Taking a deep breath, I drew back the arrow and stepped down onto the floor, my eyes flicking over everything in sight. I was stood in the stables I'd seen in the vision sent to me by Apollo, one long corridor with numerous doors on the left and right hand sides. There was only a dim light cast overhead, and straw littered all of the floors. The doors had been locked tight, preventing me from seeing what was inside, but luckily, any monsters or half-bloods that had been guarding them were gone now, probably searching for me.

Chewing the inside of my lip, I lowered the bow and started forward. My stomach churned as I realised that, to open any of the doors, I was going to have to use more lightning, and I wasn't altogether sure I had the strength. Still, I had to try. There was nothing else for it. Slipping my bow back over my shoulders, I took another deep breath and stepped toward the nearest door on my right, wrapping my hand around the lock. Forcing the lightning through my fingers again, I winced sharply through my teeth as the lock gave way in my hold.

Inside the room were four pegasi, all miserable and anxious. They stood crowded in a group in the corner, their heads bowed and their hooves scraping across the floor. At the sound of the doors opening, they looked up, whining nervously. My eyebrows tightened at the sight, and words failed me completely. Without thinking, I slipped inside and moved around the left hand side. The closer I got, the more anxious the pegasi became, until I was that closer, they whined loudly and bolted through the door one after the other. Pursing my lips, I hurried after them, hesitating in the doorway and eyeing them cautiously. Two were trying to get up the stairs, and one was away down the other end of the corridor, too skittish and nervous to pause to find out where to go. But one was stood in front of another room, scrapping at the door with its hoof and whining softly in its throat. After a moment or two, it turned and glanced back at me, still scrapping the door.

It wanted me to free the rest of them. "Bad idea, Acacia," I mumbled to myself, wide-eyed. "After that stunt you just pulled?"

But the pegasi was very persistent, making more and more noise to the point where I was sure we'd be caught out.

"Oh, I'm going to regret this," I grumbled, automatically moving in on the nearest door.

One after another, I let the lightning course through my fingers and break every lock on every door, until my skin was a little too red and my head was a little too light. My gut felt like it was being tugged from my stomach by the time I reached the last door, taking shaky breaths and blinking more often than necessary.

This door was different. It shook and rattled in its frame, and I knew one of the pegasi on the other side was trying to kick it open, only it wasn't strong enough. Grimacing, I stood as far away as possible and gingerly wrapped my hand around the last lock. "Here goes," I muttered, biting down on my lip and forcing myself to use what little lightning I had left. The lock gave way with a delicate snap, and the doors suddenly burst open. Yelping, I only just managed to leap out of the way, stumbling to the ground as four last pegasi came charging out.

One of them, one very familiar pegasi, stopped right in front of me, shaking it's silvery mane and tail out importantly. The creature was easily the best looking pegasi here, with a coat so white it shone and delicate silvery features. I knew why this one stood out from the rest from previous experience, having met this particular pegasi before, on Mount Olympus. He was the original, the very first pegasi to have every existed.

Pegasus spread his wings out at his sides, his front hooves skittering on the spot slightly. _Acacia Grace,_ he greeted warmly. _I wondered when I'd see you again._

I gawped. "Pegasus?"

He ruffled his feathers, bowing his head. _Yes, Miss Grace. It seems you could use my help again._

"How . . . how are you even here?" I blinked. "How could Luke have caught you?"

Pegasus shifted, obviously annoyed, and I felt myself flush slightly. _He didn't, Miss Grace. But he's been using a number of my brethren for various tasks, none of which benefit us or the Olympians very much. I came to free them, but I did not expect such a strong presence here. If it had not been for you, I'm not sure how long my brethren and I would have had to stay here. I owe you a great deal, Miss Grace._

Staring at him, I couldn't help thinking there was something I was missing. This was the second time Pegasus had been around to help me, and I was starting to think he was here on purpose. But why? Who would have sent him here to help me, of all demigods? Pegasus had much more to do with Percy than he did me.

But right now, he was offering to help me again, and I needed a way to get me and Felicity off this boat, once and for all. So instead of questioning him, I pushed myself to my feet with a grimace. "Can you get me to the upper deck? There's a four year old girl here, Felicity Cunningham. She's a daughter of Poseidon and Luke's trying to scare her into helping him. I have to get her out of here."

Pegasus spread his wings irritably._ Of course, Miss Grace. If this girl is in trouble, I will help however I can. Climb on._ He shifted his wings to allow me to climb onto his back, then immediately spun and rushed for the stairs. Gasping as they drew nearer, I just about had time to flatten myself against his neck before he was leaping up them gracefully, my back skimming the ceiling.

Moving through the ship on Pegasus's back was much easier and faster than staggering through myself. The moment we were in the corridor, I slipped my bow back off my shoulders and loaded an arrow, steadying myself on Pegasus's back as best as I could. He moved quickly, cantering through the corridors with his wings pressed into my legs and his head bowed to give me a clear view straight ahead. Skidding around the corners, any monsters we came across were easily taken care of with the use of my bow, and demigods didn't even bother arguing, staring at Pegasus with wide eyes as they scrambled to get out of the way.

The only problem came when we broke out into fresh air again, rushing out onto the top deck, where mortals screamed and monsters instantly surrounded us. Pegasus skidded to an abrupt halt, flapping his wings once to steady himself as the monsters closed in. I shifted on his back, one arm around his neck to keep myself steady, my stomach twisting anxiously.

"Enough!" Luke's shout came, and my eyes snapped up to see him and three other demigods stood around Felicity, who was watching me with wide eyes.

Luke glowered at me. "Get down, Acacia," he frowned. "You can't possibly win."

_I'm afraid he might be right, Miss Grace,_ Pegasus grumbled. _You're weak, and outnumbered._

"Weak . . ." I muttered to myself thoughtfully, eyes narrowing as I met Luke's gaze. "They don't know that, do they?"

_I don't follow, Miss Grace,_ Pegasus admitted cautiously.

I didn't answer, watching Luke's face straighten as he stepped forward. "Acacia, get down from there," he instructed quietly. "You're safe here, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

"It doesn't feel very safe to me," I commented irritably, glowering at the monsters surrounding me.

Luke snorted. "You just tried to break out and caused an explosion that could have sunk the ship. Are you surprised?"

_Pegasus, can you talk to Felicity?_ I asked.

_If she's a daughter of Poseidon, of course._

_Tell her to jump overboard when I tell her to._

Pegasus shifted on the spot, and the monsters tensed. Luke's eyes narrowed. _Are you sure, Miss Grace?_

_Positive._

"What do I have to say to make you understand?" Luke persisted, his eyebrows tightening. "You don't have to prove yourself here, Acacia. Everyone already knows how special you are."

"Good," I nodded, sounding a lot more confident than I felt. "Then this won't come as a surprise."

Luke froze, but I was already drawing another arrow back, aiming right at him. I released it before I could even register his eyes widening, and it whistled through the air dangerously. The half-bloods yelped, and all four of them dropped to the deck without noticing the lack of lightning as it shot straight past them.

"Now Felicity!" I shouted, and the little girl squeaked, stumbling for the edge of the boat. Around me, the monsters closed in and Pegasus reared, give a strong beat of his wing and leaping into the air. My heart jumped into my throat at the movement, my eyes glued to Felicity in panic. She'd made it to the side of the ship, but Luke made a lunge to grab her. Shrieking, she stamped hard on his foot, hard enough to make him stop and wince. Her eyes shining, she pulled herself up onto the railings and leapt off without a moment's hesitation.

"Pegasus, get down there!" I pleaded, and in the same second, he jerked to the left hand side of the boat.

_Hold on, Miss Grace,_ Pegasus warned. _You'll have to pull her up._ He dived over the side and down toward the water, levelling out just as his hooves skimmed the water's surface. For a split second, I couldn't see where Felicity had gone, and my stomach twisted in panic. But I'd barely taken a breath to complain when she broke through the water's surface, giggling as she clung to a dolphin's fin.

"That girl never fails to amaze me," I breathed, wide-eyed, and Pegasus shook his mane out in agreement, pushing himself to go faster until we were right beside her. "Felicity!" The little girl looked up at me and reached out to take my hand as shouts echoed from the ship beside us.

"Shoot them down!" Luke instructed furiously, but I'd already grabbed hold of Felicity and hauled her onto Pegasus's back in front of me.

"Thank you!" Felicity beamed at the dolphin, which dipped down below the surface and leapt out again, spraying us with water. She giggled happily as Pegasus swerved to avoid a sudden showering of arrows in our direction. With a strong beat of his wings, he rose in the air and angled himself in the right direction. Behind us, at least twenty pegasi had leapt into the air, all flying off in different directions.

"We did it," I muttered in disbelief. "Gods, we actually did it."

"Where are we going?" Felicity asked, twisting in front of me.

I wrapped my arms around her carefully. "There's a camp called Camp Half-Blood where we-you'll be safe," I amended quickly. "It's where people like us go."

"Special people like Luke said?" she asked.

I nodded, grimacing at her. "You'll be safe there, I promise."

"Will you and Mummy be there?"

I hesitated, staring at her in thought for a moment. "I will be," I nodded. "But Mummy won't. You'll see her soon though. We'll call her as soon as we can, okay?" Felicity hesitated, shifting, and I knew she was scared. Sighing heavily, I pulled her closer. "Everything will be alright, Felicity."

_Miss Grace? I'm not sure you should promise her that,_ Pegasus warned, and my chest tightened. He was right. I was in no position to promise her safety, let alone happiness. As much as I knew she needed to be away from Luke, she wouldn't be any safer with me when we got to Camp.

I just hoped Percy could cope with having a baby sister.

Pegasus landed at the creek when we finally arrived back at Camp. The moment his hooves touched the ground, I jumped off his back and hauled Felicity down beside me. She yawned widely, swaying on her feet wryly.

"Thanks Pegasus," I sighed heavily, patting his neck carefully. "I couldn't have gotten out of there without you."

_I could say the same to you, Miss Grace,_ he chuckled. _You saved myself and my brethren abroad that ship. It was the least I could do._

"Well thanks again," I smiled. "I owe you one."

_ You do not owe me anything,_ he argued sternly, ruffling his wings. _I thinks it's fair to say you can call us even._

I smiled at him, stepping back next to Felicity as he straightened out, beating his wings again. "Bye!" Felicity called, waving furiously as she slipped her free hand into mine. Pegasus shook himself out, then leapt into the air and swerved away, flying straight over our heads and disappearing in the fading light.

Pursing my lips, I twisted and knelt down in front of Felicity, meeting her gaze sternly. "Alright, you have to listen to me carefully, okay?" She nodded slowly. "You see those buildings over there?" I pointed to the cluster of cabins in the distance and she nodded again. "You see that low built one right near the end? I want you to run straight there. Don't stop for anyone or anything, okay? When you get there, go inside and talk to a boy named Percy Jackson. Tell him your name, what happened on Luke's ship, and that you're Poseidon's daughter."

Felicity blinked. "Who's Poseidon?"

I shifted. "Do you remember Luke talking about the gods? Well, Poseidon is one of them. The Twelve Olympian gods are the parents of every kid in this camp. That's what makes you special. That's why you can control water and talk to dolphin. Because your Dad is the god of the sea."

She stared at me with wide eyes, like she couldn't understand a word I said. I sighed with a small smile. "Go and find Percy. We'll explain everything properly later, but right now, there's a few people I need to speak to."

"But I'll see you later?" she clarified anxiously.

I smiled softly, nodding. "Of course you will. I'm not going anywhere without telling you first."

"Okay," she nodded.

"Now go on," I encouraged. "Go and find Percy." Before I could straighten out again, she wrapped me in a tight hug then spun around and ran toward the cabins. Slowly, I pushed myself back to my feet, watching her disappear for a moment before starting toward the Big House.

I knew I was in trouble before I even reached the door. Thunder clouds had rolled in overhead, and my hand kept twitching to the hunting knife I still had. Pursing my lips, I closed my locket up again and hid it beneath my shirt. Everyone knew I still had it, but these days, I doubted it was a good idea to show it off anymore.

I climbed the steps onto the porch of the Big House and hesitated outside the front door, my fist raised in front of me. Thinking it through for a moment, I knew the moment I stepped inside things were going to change drastically. The campers knew about my tests now, and from what I heard, they weren't happy. That meant the gods were debating whether or not I was worth it anymore, and if they hadn't already made a decision on whether to keep me alive or not, me showing up at camp was certainly going to get the cogs turning.

My hand dropped to my side again and I gulped hard. I wasn't even sure if Apollo was still here. If he was, that only made matters worse. Grumbling to myself, I turned and wandered around the wraparound porch, moving toward Half-Blood Hill. My heart clenched as I caught sight of it. At the top, Thalia's tree was still stood proud against the night sky, but it had begun to wither and die. The sight brought pained tears to my eyes, and before I knew what I was doing, I was climbing the hill, my hands shaking at my sides.

"Hey, you shouldn't be-"

Clarisse's voice cut off in surprise as she caught sight of me, but I didn't turn. My eyes were glued to Thalia's tree, silent tears streaming down my cheeks. Hesitating a moment, she grunted irritably and stepped forward, her spear spinning in her hands. She was dressed in full armour, with a no nonsense look on her face. "You're in for a rough summer, Grace," she told me shortly.

"No kidding," I managed.

She frowned at me, her eyes flicking toward Thalia's tree. "Elder python venom," she said. I glanced at her, wiping the tears away with a shaky breath. "Thalia's tree. It was poisoned with the venom. We don't know who or why, but-"

"Luke," I interrupted, and Clarisse's face straightened. "Luke Castellan poisoned the tree, and he did it because he could."

Her jaw locked. "Then you aren't going to like the next bit."

"Get it over with," I groaned, running my hands through my hair.

"Zeus fired Chiron," she answered simply, and my jaw dropped.

"What?" I blinked. "Why?"

She shrugged. "He wanted to look like he was doing something about it and no one knew who to blame, so he picked Chiron because he did nothing to stop it happening in the first place."

I gawped at her, stunned into silence. I wanted to say something, anything to assure people I didn't blame Chiron in the slightest, but questioning the gods was a bad idea for me at the moment. Clarisse just snorted at me. "So Camp has no activities director?"

Her expression darkened. "We do," she nodded. "You won't like him."

"Brilliant," I blinked. "Great start."

She glowered at me. "I wouldn't complain, if I were you, Grace. It's true, isn't it? That you're being tested by the gods?"

I stared, suddenly uncomfortable, but I took a deep breath and nodded slowly. She blinked at me. "What?"

"I didn't expect you to be honest," she admitted.

I shrugged a shoulder dejectedly. "What's the point in lying? I'm already in enough trouble."

Her narrowed eyes scanned my expression, and I knew she had questions, probably about her father. What was I supposed to say to her? He'd almost killed me, or I'd beat his test? I'm not sure which would annoy her more. After all, being almost killed by a god was quite an achievement to most demigods. Usually when a god decides to kill you, there's very little you can do about it.

"You passed any yet?" Clarisse finally settled on.

"Four," I answered cautiously.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Which ones?"

I hesitated, shifting slightly. "Artemis, Demeter, Hephaestus and Ares."

"Really?" she questioned, and I didn't answer. "Don't expect the campers around here to congratulate you, Grace."

"Wouldn't dream of it," I sighed. She grunted again, spinning her spear. "What are you doing up here anyway?"

She pointed to Thalia's tree. "Camp's borders are failing," she explained. "We have a patrol to make sure no monsters break through."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what else to say to that. Thalia was dying, and camp would soon follow her. And Luke was the cause. There wasn't anything else to say.

Clarisse shifted. "You should see Mr. D," she instructed. "He wanted to see you the moment you arrived. He's in the Big House with Tantalus and Apollo." My stomach dropped through the ground, and she must have noticed the awkward look on my face, because she snorted with a dark amusement. "So that rumour's true as well, huh?"

I flushed. "What rumour?" She just shot me an irritable look and gave me a shove back toward the Big House. Great. So everyone knew about Apollo too? How was I supposed to face any of the Apollo kids now?

I took the stairs to the Big House again and hammered on the door before I could chicken out. There was a moment's hesitation, and then the door was pulled open and a pale, horribly thin man stood on the other side. He wore an orange prisoner's jumpsuit which read 0001, and his grey hair was greasy and chopped unevenly. There were blue shadows below his eyes, which themselves looked fractured and broken.

At the sight of me, he grinned wickedly, and I shuddered before I could help it. "Look who it is," he mocked in a cold voice. "Little Acacia Grace. I hear you've been causing trouble."

"Acacia?" another voice blurted, and I flinched slightly as Apollo came into view.

"Well, bring her in then," Mr. D's voice came. "Don't want her causing any more trouble with the rest of those half-bloods, do we?" Apollo shot him an irritable look, but he and Tantalus stepped aside to let me in. I stepped past them with pursed lips, shivering despite the warmth in the wooden room.

"Clarisse said you wanted to see me," I said when Mr. D lifted his gaze to me wryly, stopping by the long table facing the fire. He sat in a large armchair by the fireplace, a large glass of wine on the table by its side. He didn't look at all different, with the same rotund figure and hair so black it looked purple. His narrowed eyes fixed on me.

"She's on border duty tonight," he commented, and I was slightly surprised he even knew where Clarisse was. "You've seen the tree I take it?"

Tantalus stared at me, like he couldn't wait to see me uncomfortable, but Apollo slumped into the chair opposite Mr. D, staring at the fire intently with a small frown. "Yes," I answered, focusing my expression to remain straight.

"You don't sound surprised," Mr. D replied uninterestedly.

"I already knew about it," I admitted, and Mr. D glowered at Apollo. He blinked, lifting his hands in surrender silently. "It was Luke," I corrected. "He showed up at my house in Glasgow and kidnapped me and Felicity."

"Felicity?" Tantalus stared, and suddenly I didn't want this man anywhere near her. But with Mr. D and Apollo watching too, I had no choice but to answer.

"Felicity Cunningham," I replied through gritted teeth, and Apollo shot me a warning look. Shifting on my feet, I ignored him. "She's only four."

"And what would Luke want with her?" Mr. D yawned, and I couldn't help frowning irritably.

"She's Poseidon's daughter," I told him blandly, and he froze, staring at me in shock.

"Where is she?" Tantalus questioned immediately.

My lips pursed. "Where she should be," I scowled. "With Percy."

"And if we needed to talk to her?" he asked me coldly.

"Then she'll still be there in the morning," I retorted. "She's four years old, and she doesn't understand what happened. She should at least be allowed to get some sleep."

"That's not your decision to make," he argued.

"It isn't yours either," Apollo snapped irritably, and I wasn't sure I'd ever actually seen him snap before. I gulped hard, pursing my lips.

"No," Mr. D agreed. "It's mine." Apollo's jaw locked, but he said nothing and sat back. "You need to calm down, kid, before you have Zeus after your neck. _Again._" My eyes bulged in shock and fear, and I took a breath to complain before I could stop myself, but Mr. D hadn't finished. "The girl can stay in Cabin Three with Johnson tonight."

"Jackson," Apollo corrected sourly. Mr. D ignored him.

"You, Grace," he continued, waving a finger in my direction. I gulped and struggled to control my expression, forcing myself to keep my eyes off Apollo's face. "Keep your head down. The campers aren't pleased with you at the moment. You go straight to Cabin One tonight, and from now on, you're to study with Annabell or train with Johnson."

I bit my lip to stop myself correcting him, nodding silently. Mr. D snorted. "Olympus is still trying to figure out what to do with you, kid, so I wouldn't even think about causing trouble if I were you."

"In the meantime, you're still being tested," Apollo added dryly, and my shoulders sagged. He shot me a sympathetic look, but said nothing, eyeing Mr. D's expression carefully. I gulped, torn between wishing I could speak with him in private and being relieved I didn't have to. We'd already caused more than enough trouble on that front.

Without another word, I turned and let myself back out of the Big House, taking a ragged breath as I stepped out into the fresh air. Gods, how had things gotten this bad so quickly? Thalia was dying, camp had turned against me and Chiron had been replaced with an immortal prisoner.

How was I supposed to fix this?


End file.
